Trump is satisfied: Lavrov

After the G20 Summit, Moscow issued a statement saying, “Mr Putin was pleased after the meeting; and Mr Donald Trump was satisfied as well. Mr Trump called it an "honor" to meet with the Russian president, it drew swift criticism from Democrats. Rex Tillerson said, it was “time to move forward” with Russia. It’s a celebration time for Moscow.

Ukraine Issue

US lawmakers were nervous for some time that Mr Trump would adopt a softer stance on Russia because of his reluctance during the campaign to criticise Mr Putin or the Kremlin. In his speech in Poland, Mr Trump called on Russia to halt its “destabilising activities” in Ukraine and around the world, but that was one of the rare occasions that he has said anything negative about the country. 

Standing beside Ukrainian president Petro Poroshenko, blamed Russia for stonewalling efforts to bring peace to eastern Ukraine where more than 10,000 have died as government forces continue three years on to battle Russia-backed separatists.

Analysis

What did they discuss?

The two sides spoke about counter-terrorism, cyber-crime, election tampering, Syria, Ukraine and more in a meeting that went nearly 140 minutes.

Mr Trump and Putin shared a convivial meeting in which the US President seems to have confronted the Russian President about tampering in the US election, which Mr. Putin denied.

The White House wants to move forward from the hacking accusations. US and Russia announced a ceasefire in southern Syria, where conflict activity has varied over the last two years.

Trump and Putin, whose regime is implicated in the murder of journalists, shared a chuckle about conflict with the media.

US sanctions against Russia has not been lifted yet.

Trump offered no details about what issues he and the Russian leader had discussed, describing them only as "various things." Putin was similarly vague, telling reporters through a translator that they were discussing international problems and bilateral issues.

The much-anticipated meeting has been closely watched to see the impact of what a Trump – Putin rapport would mean t geo-politics. Trump's predecessor, President Barack Obama, had strained ties to Putin, and Trump has expressed an interest in a better U.S.-Russia relationship.

It was interesting to see that the first meeting between Mr Putin and Mr Trump had lasted more than two hours.

One of Putin’s greatest strength is his ability in ‘working with people’. It simply means making people comfortable. An art that was practiced by the KGB while engaging in diplomacy.

Assessment

Our assessment is that, both the leaders see the value that they bring to the table to resolve a clear & present danger. It was very evident that the two shared a positive chemistry. Mr. Trump wants to take a more pragmatic approach by pooling of resources to share problems. The posture of them tilting towards each other possibly demonstrates a strong bond between them. Before the meeting started, Trump outstretched his hand to Putin as officials gathered around a table, then patted Putin's elbow as both men smiled. Later Trump again casually patted Putin on the back as they stood side by side. Is this a good sign for the world?