[Front-paged by Frank Schnittger @EuroTrib]
Pundits have gone into a frenzy for days, weeks …
Democrats called for the summit to be canceled …
Putin should first send the 12 GRU hackers to stand trial in the US based on a Grand Jury decision …
Putin stole the election to benefit Trump …
Happening Now: President Trump has a 1:1 bilateral meeting with President Putin. Later they will hold an expanded bilateral meeting and a joint press conference.
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) July 16, 2018
HELSINKI (AP) — After more than two-hour one-on-one meeting, Trump declares a 'very good start' to summit with Putin.
— Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) July 16, 2018
More to follow as press conference is about to start …
Front paged by Frank Schnittger with minor edit
[Update-1]
Press conference just ended, my first impression:
After the great show in Russia of hosting the FIFA World Cup, Putin is on a roll … great impromptu show by Presidents Trump and Putin. A coherent news conference where the reference points of a new dialogue between the two greatest nuclear powers: 90% of the explosive force between them.
Emphasis on the security of Israel when the conflict in Syria was discussed quite extensively. A lot of agreement on how to go forward and the military are already cooperating. Not a single time Saudi Arabia, Gulf States or Qatar was mentioned!!
AP question at the end typified what has obsessed Democrats and a large part of the media since Nov. 8, 2016 ..
Alleged collusion between Trump and Putin to interfere in the election campaign and the Robert Mueller investigation will be no more than a footnote in history.
The Cold War is over, there will be full cooperation between the United States and the Russian Federation to solve major problems facing the world and its existence.
[Update-2]
.@realDonaldTrump: “Nothing would be easier politically than to refuse to meet, to refuse to engage, but that would not accomplish anything… I would rather take a political risk in pursuit of peace than to risk peace in pursuit of politics." pic.twitter.com/XsMlLxsd7t
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) July 16, 2018
○ US-Russia ties have ‘never been worse’ thanks to US ‘foolishness and stupidity’ – Trump | RT |
○ Putin: Trump emphasized Israel’s security during Helsinki summit meeting | Times of Israel |
○ Trump and Putin’s landmark meeting | BBC News |
[Update-3]
I’m not someone who is part of a sour Hillary Clinton and her “Resistance” movement. It was a close election and the Electoral College (EC) votes went to Donald Trump. I’m not part of the coalition to put blame for her defeat on Russia: Putin Did It!
In the last half century the results of an presidential election could have ended in turmoil. The person on the wrong side of the EC tally stayed calm in an effort not to cause further division. Richard Nixon when the Chicago mob handed Illinois to Daddy Kennedy and Jack won the presidency. In 1968 when Henry Kissinger intervened in the Paris peace talks for a delay to suit the North Vietnamese. Tricky Dick Nixon got a reprieve. In 1980 when the Republican Gard (GOP) talked to the Ayatollahs of the Islamic Revolution to keep the U.S. hostages holed up in Tehran until Reagan was inaugurated. In 2000 when the Supreme Court intervened and joined forces with Jeb Bush, governor of Florida, to hand the presidency to his older brother George.
The Democrats and many pundits are in full denial and have been led by massive misinformation from the media and so-called think-tanks to chase after the wrong fox. The rightful perpetrator(s) who swung the election into Trump’s favour have already been rewarded by a loyal president Trump.
I will leave to debate about alleged Trump collusion with Putin during the campaign to where it’s should be played out: in the U.S. Courts, special prosecutor Robert Mueller and the U.S. Senate for possible impeachment procedure against President Trump.
In real LIVE and the moment captured during the Press Conference, I will look at the realistic opportunities for two great nations to set aside past grievances and start to act as adults in a troubled world. As I followed the news conference live on CNBC, hoping the translation would be quick and accurate, I opinion that both Trump and Putin want to restart a dialogue. They came forward point by point where there is a need for cooperation. Both sides made in abundantly clear that each leader will work from self-interest and not put their nation in jeopardy.
The pundits in the U.S., members of U.S. Congress and the American media are having a field day. Their harts have stopped beating and most have forgotten to listen to the news conference and came into the session with their minds made up. Some have clearly not engaged their brains before putting forward a question. The AP reporter beats them all for a blunt, but so stupid question. A waste of time.
More on the specifics of the points where the discussion will continue, later …
VIDEO: Trump and Putin shake hands as their summit kicks off in Helsinki. https://t.co/5w7LmsIXr1
— The Associated Press (@AP) July 16, 2018
[Update-4]
Putin, Trump say Israel’s northern border will be secured | YnetNews Israel |
Putin said Trump had spent a lot of time talking about Israel during their talks. The conditions were in place for effective cooperation on Syria, Putin added. Washington and Moscow back different sides in the eight-year-old civil war.
Netanyahu’s office issued a statement shortly after the press conference.
“Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu commends the abiding commitment of the US and President Donald Trump to the security of Israel, as expressed at the meeting between President Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin. The friendship between Israel and the US has never been stronger,” the Prime Minister’s Office said.
Prime Minister Netanyahu also very much appreciates the security coordination between Israel and Russia and the clear position expressed by President Putin regarding the need to uphold the 1974 Separation of Forces Agreement between Israel and Syria.
— PM of Israel (@IsraeliPM) July 16, 2018
○ Trump to Pentagon: Hands Off Syria
○ Daraa Rebels Surrender Under Russia’s Protection
○ Russia, Iran Prevail – Syrian Rebellion EndsDuring the Helsinki press conference, Trump also said he and Putin wanted to help the Syrian people on a humanitarian basis.
“Our (US and Russian) militaries have gotten along better than our political leaders for a number of years. And we get along in Syria too,” Trump said.
Trump also said he had stressed the importance of putting pressure on Iran, an ally of Russia, while Putin said he was aware of US opposition to the international nuclear agreement on Iran, which Russian supports.
Israel has long made clear its position that any outcome to the civil war still raging in Syrian war would have to include the absence of Iranian forces and its terror proxies such as Hezbollah from the border, which it fears could serve as a launchpad from which to wage a military campaign.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has made repeated visits to Russia in an effort to persuade Putin use its influence in Syria to remove all Iranian forces from near the Golan Heights, the latest of which took place last week in a trip to Moscow during the World Cup.
In other matters during the post-meeting press conference, Trump did not criticize Russia on any of the issues that have brought relations between the Washington and Moscow to a post-Cold War low.
○ Chabad, Vekselberg, Putin and the Schneerson Library
[Update-5]
When Obama’s former CIA Intelligence Chief reacts this way, it’s a GOOD sign. I trust Trump will take it as a motivation to move forward and not get stuck in the past of failed policy and diplomacy.
Donald Trump’s press conference performance in Helsinki rises to & exceeds the threshold of “high crimes & misdemeanors.” It was nothing short of treasonous. Not only were Trump’s comments imbecilic, he is wholly in the pocket of Putin. Republican Patriots: Where are you???
— John O. Brennan (@JohnBrennan) July 16, 2018
○ Samantha Power, the Monster, and the Libyan Intervention by Frank Schnittger on Sep 8th, 2011
○ Brennan: A Lone Man’s ‘Righteous’ Campaign by Oui on Mar 20th, 2018
[Update-6]
As I said today and many times before, “I have GREAT confidence in MY intelligence people.” However, I also recognize that in order to build a brighter future, we cannot exclusively focus on the past – as the world’s two largest nuclear powers, we must get along! #HELSINKI2018
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 16, 2018
Trump will use the excuse: ”It happened on Obama’s watch.” #Crimea #NordStream2 #Syria
Posted the following just a few days ago, a stark reminder …
As soon as US president of “Hope” Barack Obama took over power in the White House, he declared all is forgiven and forgotten …
○ Obama Reluctant to Look Into Bush Programs | The New York Times – Jan. 11, 2009 |
President Obama, in a statement issued months after entering the White House:
“We’ve been through a dark and painful chapter
of our history. Nothing will be gained in spending
our time and energy laying blame for the past.”Obama kept his promise to keep America “United”… enter Donald Trump in 2016.
What to Expect From The Helsinki Summit (Op-ed) | The Moscow Times |
Moscow is not necessarily focused on tangible deliverables from the summit. Rather, it would like to create a narrative that would allow Trump to tout the meeting as a triumph for U.S. interests, a triumph that justifies his taking further steps to repair the relationship, even though the U.S. would get little in return.
The Kremlin does not really expect sanctions relief. It knows that Trump’s hands are tied by Congress. Plus, it has adjusted to the current level of sanctions. What it wants to prevent is an escalation of U.S. pressure, or a repeat of what happened in April, when U.S. Treasury sanctions started to dictate the ownership structure of major Russian companies. This undermines Putin’s claim of Russia’s full sovereignty. Moscow’s main aim, which was derived after carefully observing Trump’s summit with Kim Jong Un in Singapore, is to create momentum that would make it politically painful and personally humiliating for Trump to revert to confrontation.
Putin has maneuvered Israel’s interest and US influence in Syria to the sidelines. A true feat of diplomacy combined with military prowess. The Lavrov effect.
Russian Involvement in Syria: What has Changed, and the Significance for Israel | NSS Insight No. 752, October 7, 2015|
Russia’s involvement in the Syrian crisis constitutes a new strategic paradigm in the Middle East and the international arena. This will have significant implications for the balance of power and the rivalries in Syria’s civil war, and for the struggle between the superpowers for global influence. Israel is also affected by these implications, given the change in the balance of power and given the risk of internal Syrian pressures spilling over into southern Syria and the Golan Heights.
Prime Minister Netanyahu’s recent hurried visit to Moscow precluded the possibility of an in-depth situation assessment that examines the broad ramifications of Russian involvement in Syria. This assessment is supposed to test whether there has been a change in the rules of the game in the deep crisis that seemingly has no way out. The Prime Minister must now strive for Russian recognition of Israel’s interests, among them the need to prevent the establishment of Salafi jihadi terrorist elements in the Golan Heights border region.
