Source:CNN.com

The 2018 Helsinki Summit brings warmer relations between US and Russia

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The entire world revolved around Finland and its capital Helsinki, these past days. Finally, the talking point happened, and we bring you the latest news.

Both the US and Russia presidents agreed yesterday to improve the relationship between these two superpowers and that there is no more need for tensions. This news is something that brings, at least a bit of, ease of mind to everyone since we all know just how the US and Russian policies differ and clashed quite often.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=We5vSlR9Krs

Finish capital Helsinki was the place where the two presidents met and discussed “everything from trade to military to missiles to China.” During the press conference, Putin stated that “There are no objective reasons for difficulties (between Russia and the US). The Cold War is a thing of the past, the situation in the world has drastically changed.” On the other side, just before the summit, Donald Trump pretty much blamed his own country for, as he said, “foolishness and stupidity” that drove a wedge between these two countries.

At the same press conference, after the talks, Trump had words of praise for Putin and his “direct, open and deeply productive dialogue.” He also said that there should be a lot more emphasis on these types of meetings instead of confrontations that do not benefit anyone. He stated, “A productive dialogue is not only good for the United States and good for Russia, but it is good for the world.” Trump continued by saying “Our relationship has never been worse than it is now, however that changed as of about four hours ago… To refuse to engage would not accomplish anything.”

The two presidents spoke on the topic of international security as well, and the overall agreement, according to what Putin said, is that these two countries have to work together to cope with challenges such as terrorism, international crime, the economy and the environment. He also pointed out counterterrorism and cybersecurity as two areas where these two superpowers are already making huge progress. Putin stated: “As major nuclear powers, we bear special responsibility for maintaining international security.” He also pointed out that Russia, together with the US, could “establish peace and reconciliation” in Syria. Trump added that by doing so, they could also “save hundreds of thousands of lives.” They also reached another agreement and it is to secure Israel’s border with Syria in accordance with the 1974 Agreement on Disengagement between Israel and Syria.

The big topic that should rise during the talks of the two presidents is the alleged Russian meddling in the 2016 Presidential campaign in the US. On the press conference, Putin once again denied the alleged Russian meddling into the democratic process in America and stated: “The Russian state has never interfered and is not going to interfere in internal US affairs.” He openly offered readiness to analyze any findings together with Washington.

Source:thenational.ae

Trump was not holding back as well, and clearly criticised the ongoing US investigation of the accusations and categorized it as a “disaster.” He said, “If they had (evidence), it would have been out long ago.”

According to the two presidents the Helsinki Summit was a very important first step towards better and warmer relations between the US and Russia. “We were not able to clear all the backlog, but I think we made a first important step in this direction” Putin stated. Apparently, just before the start of the summit, Putin told Trump that “the time has come to talk thoroughly about bilateral relations, as well as various hotspots in the world.”

On the other side, the US Congress, including some Republicans were not satisfied with where the summit went and openly criticised Trump and his comments. According to Senator McCain, the press conference is “one of the most disgraceful performances by an American president in memory.” Arizona Republican basically said that the Helsinki Summit was a big mistake and that POTUS willingly decided to “defend a tyrant.” Others like House Speaker Paul Ryan still clinch for what they believe, and that is that there’s “no question” that Russia interfered in the 2016 presidential election. Ryan continued by stating “The president must appreciate that Russia is not our ally” and continued by saying that Moscow “remains hostile to our most basic values and ideals.”

The high-ranking Republicans also continued to show their dismay, and one of them was Senator Jeff Flake who Tweeted “I never thought I would see the day when our American president would stand on the stage with the Russian president and place blame on the United States for Russian aggression. This is shameful.”

Source: aljazeera.com

As one of the founders of foreignspolicyi.org Knjaz Milos tries to bring all the latest news regarding politics. He loves history and is passionate about writing.
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