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{{wikisource|Remarks by President Trump and President Putin of the Russian Federation in Joint Press Conference}}
*{{Official website|https://um.fi/helsinki2018}} <small>(Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland)</small>
*{{Official website|https://um.fi/helsinki2018}} <small>(Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland)</small>
* nytimes.com: [https://www.nytimes.com/2018/07/14/us/politics/trump-russia-putin.html?&hp&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&clickSource=story-heading&module=first-column-region&region=top-news&WT.nav=top-news ''Trump Opens His Arms to Russia. His Administration Closes Its Fist.''] (News analysis)
* nytimes.com: [https://www.nytimes.com/2018/07/14/us/politics/trump-russia-putin.html?&hp&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&clickSource=story-heading&module=first-column-region&region=top-news&WT.nav=top-news ''Trump Opens His Arms to Russia. His Administration Closes Its Fist.''] (News analysis)

Revision as of 16:19, 19 July 2018

2018 Russia–United States summit
File:Vladimir Putin & Donald Trump in Helsinki, 16 July 2018 (3).jpg
Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin shake hands during the summit
Host country Finland[1]
DateJuly 16, 2018[1]
Venue(s)Presidential Palace
CitiesHelsinki, Finland
ParticipantsUnited States Donald Trump
Russia Vladimir Putin
Websiteum.fi/helsinki2018

The 2018 Russia–United States summit was a summit meeting between United States President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin (hence also known as the Trump–Putin summit). The event took place on July 16, 2018, in Helsinki, Finland. The Finnish Ministry of Foreign Affairs officially titled the summit as the #HELSINKI2018 Meeting.[2] It was hosted by the President of Finland Sauli Niinistö.

The summit was also notable for the controversial remarks made by President Trump in the press conference afterwards in which he refused to acknowledge that Russia interfered in 2016 US elections. Trump's remarks provoked a backlash across the political spectrum, including among some of his usual allies. Trump claimed that he had misspoken.

Background

The Presidential Palace in Helsinki, the venue of the summit

The summit took place in the Presidential Palace. The event marked the first official meeting between the world leaders after previous unofficial talks between Trump and Putin at the G20 Hamburg and APEC Vietnam summits held in 2017.[3] Trump also met the Finnish President Sauli Niinistö in the Presidential Palace. Topics Trump announced to be discussed at the summit included the situations in Syria and Ukraine.[4][5] The United States Secretary of State Mike Pompeo met his Russian and Finnish counterparts Sergey Lavrov and Timo Soini.[6]

Niinistö held bilateral meetings with both presidents on the day of the summit. That morning, Niinistö and Finnish First Lady Jenni Haukio welcomed Trump and U.S. First Lady Melania Trump at their main official residence in Mäntyniemi. During the presidents’ meeting, the two women met for a joint breakfast.[7]

The Helsinki 2018 meeting began at the Presidential Palace after midday (at approximately 1 pm) with Niinistö officially welcoming Putin, followed by Trump. The bilateral discussions between the Russian and American presidents took place in the Presidential Palace’s Gothic Hall; Trump and Putin met with only interpreters present.[8] Their meeting was followed by a working lunch including additional officials in the Hall of Mirrors.[9]

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg and former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev said they welcomed Trump's planned meeting with Vladimir Putin.[10]

Two days before the scheduled meeting, a group of top Senate Democrats urged Trump to not meet with Putin one-on-one. Signers of a letter advising him not to meet alone with Putin included Minority Leader Charles Schumer, Minority Whip Dick Durbin, and the top Democrats on the Senate Intelligence (Mark Warner), Foreign Relations (Bob Menendez), Judiciary (Dianne Feinstein), Armed Services (Jack Reed), Appropriations (Patrick Leahy), and Banking (Sherrod Brown) committees.[11][12]

Controversial remarks

During an interview on the eve of the summit with CBS News, Trump said Russia was a foe in certain aspects and called the EU the biggest trade foe of the United States.[13]

Trump tweeted on the morning of the summit that the relationship between Russia and the U.S. had "never been worse".[14] He blamed this on "foolishness and stupidity" on the part of the U.S., and referenced the ongoing Special Counsel investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 elections, calling it a "witchhunt". He also defended Russia over claims of interference in the U.S. election leveled by the FBI and other U.S. intelligence agencies, saying "President Putin says it's not Russia. I don't see any reason why it would be."[15]

History

President Vladimir Putin and NSC Advisor John R. Bolton meeting at the Kremlin, Moscow, on June 27, 2018, to discuss the summit

Helsinki previously served as the location for the signing of the Helsinki Accords in 1975, following a series of meetings intended to reduce tensions between the Western and Soviet blocs during the Cold War.[16] The US National Security Advisor John R. Bolton met with Russian President Vladimir Putin on June 27, 2018, to discuss the details of the summit and other bilateral issues.[17] On June 28, the location of the summit was announced by the White House and the Kremlin to be Helsinki.[18]

Demonstrations

According to the Finnish Broadcasting Company Yle, more than 10 demonstrations were planned for the summit.[19] On Sunday 15 July, about 2,500 protesters gathered for the "Helsinki Calling" pro-human rights demonstration at the Helsinki Senate Square.[20][21] Simultaneously, the youth section of the nationalist Finns Party staged a pro-Trump rally. The "Welcome Trump" event gathered a crowd of 50 people including Finns Party youth and Soldiers of Odin members.[21][22]

More demonstrations were planned for Monday 16 July, including the "Stop Putin" and "Helsinki against Trump and Putin" rallies and protests for women’s rights, Afghanistan and against Russophobia.[19] Youth section of the conservative National Coalition Party said they would hold a demonstration against President Trump's trade policy and Russia’s annexation of the Crimea.[19]

Delegations

U.S. delegation

Russian delegation

Private meeting

Trump and Putin met privately for two hours, without aides or note-takers, accompanied only by their respective interpreters. The meeting had been scheduled for 90 minutes but lasted two hours.[23][24] There were later calls by Senator Jeanne Shaheen and Representative Bill Pascrell for Trump's interpreter, Marina Gross, to testify before Congress.[25] The private meeting was followed by a working lunch that included senior advisors.[24]

On July 18, 2018, White House press secretary Sarah Sanders confirmed that Putin and Trump had discussed the possibility of Russian officals questioning Michael McFaul, a former US ambassador to Russia, as well as Putin critic Bill Browder, in exchange for allowing investigators of the Special Counsel investigation to question twelve Russians who are under indictment in America. Sanders stated in a press conference, "The president will work with his team and we’ll let you know if there’s an announcement on that front."[26] State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert called the Russian request "absolutely absurd."[27]

Press conference

The press conference

After the private meeting and the working lunch, Trump and Putin gave a joint press conference. When Trump was asked whether he would condemn Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. election, he demurred, saying that Putin had denied it.[28]

JONATHAN LEMIRE, ASSOCIATED PRESS: President Trump, you first. Just now, President Putin denied having anything to do with the election interference in 2016. Every U.S. intelligence agency has concluded that Russia did. My first question for you sir is, who do you believe? My second question is would you now, with the whole world watching, tell President Putin, would you denounce what happened in 2016 and would you want him to never do it again?

TRUMP: So let me just say that we have two thoughts. You have groups that are wondering why the FBI never took the server. Why haven't they taken the server? Why was the FBI told to leave the office of the Democratic National Committee?

I've been wondering that. I've been asking that for months and months and I've been tweeting it out and calling it out on social media. Where is the server? I want to know where is the server and what is the server saying?

With that being said, all I can do is ask the question.

My people came to me, Dan Coats, came to me and some others they said they think it's Russia. I have President Putin. He just said it's not Russia.

I will say this: I don't see any reason why it would be. But I really do want to see the server but I have, I have confidence in both parties.[28]

When Putin was asked if he had wanted Trump to win the 2016 election, he responded "Yes, I did. Yes, I did. Because he talked about bringing the U.S.-Russia relationship back to normal."[29]

Asked whether Russia possessed any compromising material on Trump, Putin laughed and talked about the number of businessmen who visit Russia, but did not give a direct answer. Trump commented that if any such material existed "it would have been out long ago" and then changed the subject.[30]

Reaction

The hours immediately following the summit drew bipartisan criticism in the United States. Criticism focused on Trump's apparent acceptance of Putin's denial of involvement in Russian interference in the 2016 United States elections, which contradicted the findings of the United States Intelligence Community, and stood in pointed contrast to the indictment of twelve Russian GRU agents just three days earlier in the ongoing Special Counsel investigation:[28] International news coverage of the summit was mixed in Europe, triumphant in Russia, and muted in China.[31]

Democrats universally condemned Trump's performance, but so did some Republicans. Some Republicans in Congress strongly criticized Trump, such as Senator Bob Corker, who stated "he made us look like a pushover", Senator Ben Sasse, "This is bizarre and flat-out wrong", and Senator Tim Scott, "I fear today was a step backwards".[32] Others including Paul Ryan and Mitch McConnell reaffirmed support for the U.S. intelligence community without directly condemning Trump.[32] Newt Gingrich, a longtime Trump supporter, called Trump's statements about the U.S. intelligence community "the most serious mistake of his presidency."[33] 2012 Republican Candidate for President Mitt Romney[34] and 2008 Republican candidate for President John McCain both strongly criticized Trump; Romney said Trump's siding with Putin rather than U.S. intelligence agencies was "disgraceful and detrimental to our democratic principles", while McCain called the summit "one of the most disgraceful performances by an American president in memory."[35] U.S. media reaction was almost universally negative, even from many commentators on Fox News who normally support the president.[36]

Senator Rand Paul supported Trump's visit stating "They also said he shouldn't meet with Kim and this is an extraordinary thing about President Trump that should be lauded and not belittled is that he is willing to meet with adversaries to try to prevent us from having World War 3."[37]

Senate Democrats led by Jeanne Shaheen called for American interpreter Marina Gross, who sat in on the private meeting with Putin, to be brought before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and interrogated. Shaheen added, if the administration is to exert executive privilege, “we need to find another way to get the information.” [38] Senator Chuck Schumer claimed "We need hearings as soon as possible", "demanding testimony" from President Donald Trump's national security team present during the Helsinki summit, "immediately."[39][40]

Sarah Sanders called out the White House press corps for “massive media hysteria” over alleged ties between Russia and the president during a press breifing, and said that the press “has gotten totally out of control.” The competeing press corps then generated a minor revolt by trying a new tactic, solidarity, when Sanders elected to "move on" from the grilling being conducted by NBC News chief correspondent Hallie Jackson. This occurred during a press breifing days after President Trump declined to take a question from Jim Acosta of CNN, declaring his employer “fake news”.[41]

Trump's followup

Trump's statement on the 17th of July

The next day, Trump, reading from a prepared statement, contended that he had mistakenly used the word "would" when he had meant to say "wouldn't", acknowledging Russian attempts at meddling in the 2016 election but denying Trump-Russia collusion.

NBC News
@NBCNews
 Twitter logo, a stylized blue bird

President Trump claims he misspoke while discussing election meddling during news conference with Putin: "In a key sentence in my remarks, I said the word 'would' instead of 'wouldn't.' ... The sentence should've been: 'I don’t see any reason why it wouldn’t be Russia'"

July 17, 2018[42]

Straying from his prepared statement, Trump returned to a theme he has asserted before: that Russia may not have been the only culprit, but rather there "Could be other people also. A lot of people out there."[43]

Trump then posted on Twitter on July 18, 2018:[44]

Donald J. Trump
@realDonaldTrump
 Twitter logo, a stylized blue bird

Some people HATE the fact that I got along well with President Putin of Russia. They would rather go to war than see this. It’s called Trump Derangement Syndrome!

18 Jul 2018[45]

During a followup interview, President Trump, told CBS News that he holds the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, personally responsible for Russia’s attempts at meddling in the 2016 US presidential election.[46]

Russian claim of agreements

The day after the meeting, a Russian military spokesman said that Russia is "ready for practical implementation of the agreements reached between Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump in the sphere of international security achieved at the Helsinki summit." His statement said the agreements include cooperation in Syria and discussions about extending the START Treaty.[47] No agreements were announced at the summit, and White House and Pentagon spokesmen said they were not aware of any new agreements.[48]

  • Vladimir Putin arrived in Finland.
    Vladimir Putin arrived in Finland.
  • Joint photo session (left to right): First Lady of the US Melania Trump, US President Donald Trump, President of Russia Vladimir Putin, President of Finland Sauli Niinistö and First Lady of Finland Jenni Haukio.
    Joint photo session (left to right): First Lady of the US Melania Trump, US President Donald Trump, President of Russia Vladimir Putin, President of Finland Sauli Niinistö and First Lady of Finland Jenni Haukio.
  • Putin gifts Trump a Telstar Mechta, the official match ball for the knockout stage of the 2018 FIFA World Cup.
    Putin gifts Trump a Telstar Mechta, the official match ball for the knockout stage of the 2018 FIFA World Cup.

See also

References

  1. ^ a b Kevin, Liptak. "Trump casts doubt on Russian election meddling ahead of Putin summit". CNN. Retrieved 28 June 2018.
  2. ^ "#HELSINKI2018 - Ministry for Foreign Affairs". um.fi. Retrieved 2018-07-11.
  3. ^ "Trump ja Putin kohtaavat Helsingissä 16. heinäkuuta, Trump tahtoo tavata Sauli Niinistön kahden kesken – Tämä kaikki huippukokouksesta tiedetään" [Trump and Putin will meet in Helsinki on 16 July, Trump wants to meet with Sauli Niinistö privately – All this is known about the summit]. Helsingin Sanomat (in Finnish). 28 June 2018. Retrieved 9 July 2018.
  4. ^ Riley-Smith, Ben (2018-06-28). "Summit between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin to be held in Helsinki on July 16". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 2018-06-29.
  5. ^ "Fox News: Trump and Putin to meet at Helsinki summit". Yle Uutiset. 2018-06-28. Retrieved 2018-06-29.
  6. ^ Samuels, Brett (July 12, 2018). "Pompeo to meet with Russian, Finnish foreign ministers in Helsinki". The Hill. Retrieved 18 July 2018.
  7. ^ "The Latest: Trump tweets US, Russia 'must get along'". AP News. 17 July 2018. Retrieved 18 July 2018.
  8. ^ Ericson, Amanda; The Washington Post: "Trump can't beat Putin at his own game." July 16, 2018 [1]. Retrieved 16 July 2018.
  9. ^ "American and Russian presidents to meet at the Presidential Palace in Helsinki - The President of the Republic of Finland". president.fi. Retrieved 2018-07-13.
  10. ^ "The Latest: Gorbachev has high hopes for Putin-Trump summit". AP News. June 28, 2018.
  11. ^ www.warner.senate.gov (14 July 2018): Do not meet Putin alone
  12. ^ thehill.com (14 July 2018): Senate Dems tell Trump: Don't meet with Putin one-on-one
  13. ^ "Trump, on Eve of Putin Meeting, Calls E.U. a Trade 'Foe'=". Retrieved 17 July 2018.
  14. ^ Donald Trump [@realDonaldTrump] (July 15, 2018). "Our relationship with Russia has NEVER been worse thanks to many years of U.S. foolishness and stupidity and now, the Rigged Witch Hunt!" (Tweet). Archived from the original on July 17, 2018. Retrieved July 18, 2018 – via Twitter.
  15. ^ "Trump sides with Russia against FBI". BBC. 16 July 2018. Retrieved 17 July 2018.
  16. ^ King, Alexandra (2018-07-01). "Trump-Putin summit makes US a 'less reliable' partner to its Western allies, former UK official says". CNN. Retrieved 2018-07-02.
  17. ^ Roth, Andrew (27 June 2018). "Trump and Putin to reveal details of first official summit". The Guardian. Retrieved 27 June 2018. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |dead-url= (help)
  18. ^ Jenkins, Nash (28 June 2018). "What We Know About Trump's Summit With Putin (So Far)". Time. Retrieved 18 July 2018.
  19. ^ a b c "Number of protests for Trump-Putin Helsinki summit rises to 10". Yle News. 12 July 2018. Retrieved 16 July 2018. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |dead-url= (help)
  20. ^ "Watch: Demonstrators rally ahead of Trump's arrival in Finland". Yle News. 15 July 2018. Retrieved 16 July 2018. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |dead-url= (help)
  21. ^ a b "Finns rally against Trump, Putin ahead of Helsinki summit". Reuters. 15 July 2018. Retrieved 16 July 2018. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |dead-url= (help)
  22. ^ Auramies, Jukka (15 July 2018). "Isänmaalliset nuoret Trumpin puolesta – kourallinen PS-nuoria sekä Soldiers of Odinin jäseniä toivotti Trumpin ilolla tervetulleeksi". MTV3 (in Finnish). Retrieved 16 July 2018. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |dead-url= (help)
  23. ^ a b Horsley, Dan (2018-07-16). "Trump, Putin Meet For 2 Hours In Helsinki". NPR. Retrieved 2018-07-17.
  24. ^ a b "Trump-Putin summit: US leader hails 'good start' in Helsinki". BBC News. July 16, 2018. Retrieved 18 July 2018. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |work= (help)
  25. ^ Smith, Allan (2018-07-17). "2 top Democrats want Congress to interview the interpreter who was in the room with Trump and Putin". Business Insider. Retrieved 2018-07-17.
  26. ^ Thomsen, Jacqueline (18 July 2018). "White House: Trump open to Russia questioning US citizens". Retrieved 18 July 2018.
  27. ^ Heather Nauert calls the Russian request "absolutely absurd" and "We do not stand by those assertions" the Russian government makes: https://twitter.com/JonathanLanday/status/1019665207021506560
  28. ^ a b c "Transcript:Trump And Putin's Joint Press Conference". Retrieved 17 July 2018.
  29. ^ Friedman, Uri (July 17, 2018). "The White House Transcript Is Missing the Most Explosive Part of the Trump–Putin Press Conference". The Atlantic. Retrieved 18 July 2018.
  30. ^ Wolf, Z. Byron (July 16, 2018). "Does Russia have Kompromat on Trump? Here's Putin's strange answer". CNN. Retrieved 18 July 2018.
  31. ^ Smith, Alexander (July 17, 2018). "International reaction to Trump-Putin meeting is mixed". NBC News. Retrieved 18 July 2018.
  32. ^ a b Fox, Lauren (July 16, 2018). "Top Republicans in Congress break with Trump over Putin comments". CNN. Retrieved 18 July 2018.
  33. ^ Greenwood, Max (July 16, 2018). "Gingrich: Putin press conference was 'most serious mistake' of Trump's presidency". The Hill. Retrieved 18 July 2018.
  34. ^ "My statement on today's summit in Helsinki". {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |dead-url= (help)
  35. ^ "John McCain: Trump gave 'one of the most disgraceful performances by an American president in memory'". {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |dead-url= (help)
  36. ^ Relman, Eliza (July 18, 2018). "Trump's staunchest media allies are facing their biggest test yet — and some of them are finally abandoning him". Business Insider. Retrieved 18 July 2018.
  37. ^ Tillett, Emily (17 July 2018). "Rand Paul defends Trump: Meeting with adversaries should be "lauded and not belittled."". CBS News. Retrieved 18 July 2018.
  38. ^ MARIAM KHAN | ABC News, Senate Democrats want to question Trump's interpreter at Putin summit, https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/senate-democrats-question-trumps-interpreter-putin-summit/story?id=56668320, July 18, 2018
  39. ^ Catherine Treyz | CNN, Schumer demands hearings 'immediately' with Trump officials -- including Pompeo, https://www.cnn.com/2018/07/17/politics/chuck-schumer-hearing-russia-news-conference/index.html, July 17, 2018
  40. ^ Sheryl Gay Stolberg, Nicholas Fandos and Thomas Kaplan | New York Times, Republicans Rebuke Trump for Siding With Putin as Democrats Demand Action, https://www.nytimes.com/2018/07/16/us/politics/republicans-trump-putin.html, July 16, 2018
  41. ^ Michael M. Grynbaum | New York Times, Reporters, Facing a Hostile White House, Try a New Tactic: Solidarity, https://www.nytimes.com/2018/07/18/business/media/white-house-reporters-hallie-jackson.html, July 18, 2018
  42. ^ NBC News [@NBCNews] (July 17, 2018). "President Trump claims he misspoke while discussing election meddling during news conference with Putin: "In a key sentence in my remarks, I said the word 'would' instead of 'wouldn't.' ... The sentence should've been: 'I don't see any reason why it wouldn't be Russia'"" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  43. ^ Swanson, Ian (17 July 2018). "Trump says he accepts US intel on Russia — then adds it 'could be other people also'". Retrieved 18 July 2018.
  44. ^ Smith, David (18 July 2018). "Summit critics have Trump derangement syndrome – says Trump". The Guardian. Retrieved 19 July 2018.
  45. ^ Donald J. Trump [@realDonaldTrump]. "Some people HATE the fact that I got along well with President Putin of Russia. They would rather go to war than see this. It's called [[Trump Derangement Syndrome]]!" (Tweet) – via Twitter. {{cite web}}: URL–wikilink conflict (help); {{Cite tweet}}: Invalid |number= (help)
  46. ^ Reuters/CBS | The Guardian, Trump says he holds Putin responsible for US election meddling – video, https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/video/2018/jul/19/trump-says-he-holds-putin-responsible-for-us-election-meddling-video, July 19, 2018
  47. ^ Gaouette, Nicole; Phillip, Abby (July 18, 2018). "US offers no details as Russia claims Trump and Putin reached military agreements". CNN. Retrieved 18 July 2018.
  48. ^ Ryan, Missy; Morello, Carol (July 17, 2018). "No one can explain what Trump's Russia summit means, not even the U.S. government". The Washington Post. Retrieved 18 July 2018.
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