How Trump and Putin’s previous conferences went

[ad_1] <img sizes="(min-width: 1280px) 50vw, (min-width: 1008px) 66vw, 96vw" srcset="https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/240/cpsprodpb/3022/live/66ac3130-792f-11f0-9a74-bbd8977304bc.jpg.webp 240w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/320/cpsprodpb/3022/live/66ac3130-792f-11f0-9a74-bbd8977304bc.jpg.webp 320w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/480/cpsprodpb/3022/live/66ac3130-792f-11f0-9a74-bbd8977304bc.jpg.webp 480w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/640/cpsprodpb/3022/live/66ac3130-792f-11f0-9a74-bbd8977304bc.jpg.webp 640w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/800/cpsprodpb/3022/live/66ac3130-792f-11f0-9a74-bbd8977304bc.jpg.webp 800w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/1024/cpsprodpb/3022/live/66ac3130-792f-11f0-9a74-bbd8977304bc.jpg.webp 1024w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/1536/cpsprodpb/3022/live/66ac3130-792f-11f0-9a74-bbd8977304bc.jpg.webp 1536w" src="https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/480/cpsprodpb/3022/live/66ac3130-792f-11f0-9a74-bbd8977304bc.jpg.webp" loading="eager" alt="Getty Images Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin hold their hands up in a wave while wearing matching blue overshirts, as they pose with other leaders for a "family photo" in Vietnam in November 2017" class="sc-d1200759-0 dvfjxj"/> Getty Pictures The pair donned matching outfits for a "household picture" of leaders in Vietnam in 2017

US President Donald Trump's summit with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on Friday is a blockbuster second in world politics that calls to thoughts a number of memorable earlier conferences.

These occasions have tended to ship main information headlines, in addition to some glimpses into the intriguing, unpredictable and much-scrutinised private relationship between the 2 leaders.

Wanting again on the pictures additionally offers clues as to how they could strategy Friday's head-to-head in Alaska, throughout which they may focus on ending the battle in Ukraine.

The 2 carry very totally different approaches to personal conferences, based on former officers who've handled both or each leaders behind closed doorways.

<img sizes="(min-width: 1280px) 50vw, (min-width: 1008px) 66vw, 96vw" srcset="https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/240/cpsprodpb/95d8/live/424303b0-792e-11f0-a34f-318be3fb0481.jpg.webp 240w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/320/cpsprodpb/95d8/live/424303b0-792e-11f0-a34f-318be3fb0481.jpg.webp 320w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/480/cpsprodpb/95d8/live/424303b0-792e-11f0-a34f-318be3fb0481.jpg.webp 480w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/640/cpsprodpb/95d8/live/424303b0-792e-11f0-a34f-318be3fb0481.jpg.webp 640w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/800/cpsprodpb/95d8/live/424303b0-792e-11f0-a34f-318be3fb0481.jpg.webp 800w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/1024/cpsprodpb/95d8/live/424303b0-792e-11f0-a34f-318be3fb0481.jpg.webp 1024w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/1536/cpsprodpb/95d8/live/424303b0-792e-11f0-a34f-318be3fb0481.jpg.webp 1536w" src="https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/480/cpsprodpb/95d8/live/424303b0-792e-11f0-a34f-318be3fb0481.jpg.webp" loading="lazy" alt="AFP via Getty Images Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump shake hands across a table at the G20 summit in Hamburg, Germany, in July 2017 as they look at each other directly. " class="sc-d1200759-0 dvfjxj"/> AFP by way of Getty Pictures A businesslike handshake on the 2 presidents' debut assembly in 2017

Their first assembly got here in July 2017, at a G20 summit in Germany. It was simply months after Trump entered the White Home, whereas Putin already had many years of political expertise underneath his belt.

In entrance of the world's cameras, the 2 exchanged heat phrases, and a businesslike handshake, which set the tone for a usually respectful relationship. Within the years to return, the duo went on to precise their mutual admiration - though Trump not too long ago instructed the BBC he was "dissatisfied" with Putin over the bloodshed in Ukraine.

The truth is, Ukraine was raised in that very first assembly, when Trump highlighted Russia's efforts to destabilise its neighbour. Three years earlier than, Moscow had illegally annexed the Crimean peninsula.

Quick-forward to 2025 - with Putin's full-scale invasion of Ukraine into its fourth yr - and Trump is keen to play the position of peacemaker by negotiating a ceasefire.

Trump stated on Wednesday there can be "very extreme penalties" if the Russian chief didn't agree to finish the battle. At different instances, he has taken a softer tone, and has stated he merely envisages the assembly to be a "feel-out" train.

<img sizes="(min-width: 1280px) 50vw, (min-width: 1008px) 66vw, 96vw" srcset="https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/240/cpsprodpb/afc2/live/5220aea0-7955-11f0-aaf6-d3dc859efb2f.jpg.webp 240w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/320/cpsprodpb/afc2/live/5220aea0-7955-11f0-aaf6-d3dc859efb2f.jpg.webp 320w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/480/cpsprodpb/afc2/live/5220aea0-7955-11f0-aaf6-d3dc859efb2f.jpg.webp 480w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/640/cpsprodpb/afc2/live/5220aea0-7955-11f0-aaf6-d3dc859efb2f.jpg.webp 640w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/800/cpsprodpb/afc2/live/5220aea0-7955-11f0-aaf6-d3dc859efb2f.jpg.webp 800w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/1024/cpsprodpb/afc2/live/5220aea0-7955-11f0-aaf6-d3dc859efb2f.jpg.webp 1024w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/1536/cpsprodpb/afc2/live/5220aea0-7955-11f0-aaf6-d3dc859efb2f.jpg.webp 1536w" src="https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/480/cpsprodpb/afc2/live/5220aea0-7955-11f0-aaf6-d3dc859efb2f.jpg.webp" loading="lazy" alt="Getty Images Vladimir Putin appears to speak directly into the ear of Donald Trump in a close-up from a summit in Vietnam in November 2017. Trump, wearing a US flag pin on his lapel, is looking down and is seen from the front, while Putin is in profile. " class="sc-d1200759-0 dvfjxj"/> Getty Pictures Putin was pictured in shut dialog with Trump at a second assembly in 2017

Trump and Putin once more got here face-to-face as soon as extra in 2017, at an financial discussion board in Vietnam. They had been pictured chatting amongst different world leaders, and one snap appeared to indicate Putin speaking immediately into his reverse quantity's ear.

Trump will probably be aware of Putin's potential to dominate conversations with prolonged, shortly spoken monologues that give his conversant few alternatives to reply, based on diplomats who described the Russian chief's fashion to the BBC.

"Every part in all conferences with Putin is about energy," noticed Sir Laurie Bristow, the UK ambassador to Russia from 2016 to 2020. "Who's in command of the timing, the substance, the agenda, the tone - the purpose is that you just by no means fairly know what you are going to get."

In consequence, Sir Laurie stated, "the interpreters can discover it laborious to maintain up", and it was very important from Trump's perspective that he introduced one among his personal. Trump's envoy Steve Witkoff allegedly relied on Kremlin translators throughout a gathering of his personal earlier this yr.

Former Trump aide Fiona Hill agreed with Sir Laurie, recalling in an interview with the Telegraph her personal experiences of coping with Putin: "He does make enjoyable of Trump. He makes use of the Russian language in a manner that may be fairly sarcastic and ironic. It's very misplaced in translation."

<img sizes="(min-width: 1280px) 50vw, (min-width: 1008px) 66vw, 96vw" srcset="https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/240/cpsprodpb/a1c5/live/4a0c8180-7955-11f0-aaf6-d3dc859efb2f.jpg.webp 240w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/320/cpsprodpb/a1c5/live/4a0c8180-7955-11f0-aaf6-d3dc859efb2f.jpg.webp 320w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/480/cpsprodpb/a1c5/live/4a0c8180-7955-11f0-aaf6-d3dc859efb2f.jpg.webp 480w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/640/cpsprodpb/a1c5/live/4a0c8180-7955-11f0-aaf6-d3dc859efb2f.jpg.webp 640w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/800/cpsprodpb/a1c5/live/4a0c8180-7955-11f0-aaf6-d3dc859efb2f.jpg.webp 800w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/1024/cpsprodpb/a1c5/live/4a0c8180-7955-11f0-aaf6-d3dc859efb2f.jpg.webp 1024w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/1536/cpsprodpb/a1c5/live/4a0c8180-7955-11f0-aaf6-d3dc859efb2f.jpg.webp 1536w" src="https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/480/cpsprodpb/a1c5/live/4a0c8180-7955-11f0-aaf6-d3dc859efb2f.jpg.webp" loading="lazy" alt="Getty Images Vladimir Putin smiles as he hands a white and red football to Donald Trump during a meeting in Helsinki, Finland, in July 2018. Behind the pair are a US and a Russian flag. " class="sc-d1200759-0 dvfjxj"/> Getty Pictures Putin places the ball in Trump's courtroom throughout a gathering in Helsinki, Finland, in 2018

Maybe essentially the most overt public show of friendliness between Trump and Putin got here once they met for closed-door talks in Helsinki, Finland, in July 2018.

Trump defended Russia over accusations of interference within the 2016 US presidential election, and sided with Putin over the assessments of his personal intelligence businesses. The transfer earned him cross-party condemnation again house within the US.

The Helsinki assembly additionally produced a memorably casual picture of Putin gifting Trump a soccer from the current males's World Cup, which had been hosted by Russia.

Such gestures on Putin's half had been at all times fastidiously calculated, based on Sir Tony Brenton, one other former British ambassador to Russia. Sir Tony recalled Putin exhibiting "Russian old-world courtesy" throughout conferences wherein he was current within the mid-2000s, though "there was at all times a level of reserve beneath it, and he was by no means a really spontaneous character".

He added: "The footballs and the grins, the jokes and that kind of stuff… he isn't naturally a 'hail fellow effectively met' man, however he does work at it when he thinks it is vital for the connection."

<img sizes="(min-width: 1280px) 50vw, (min-width: 1008px) 66vw, 96vw" srcset="https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/240/cpsprodpb/5482/live/dfeb3480-7955-11f0-aaf6-d3dc859efb2f.jpg.webp 240w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/320/cpsprodpb/5482/live/dfeb3480-7955-11f0-aaf6-d3dc859efb2f.jpg.webp 320w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/480/cpsprodpb/5482/live/dfeb3480-7955-11f0-aaf6-d3dc859efb2f.jpg.webp 480w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/640/cpsprodpb/5482/live/dfeb3480-7955-11f0-aaf6-d3dc859efb2f.jpg.webp 640w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/800/cpsprodpb/5482/live/dfeb3480-7955-11f0-aaf6-d3dc859efb2f.jpg.webp 800w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/1024/cpsprodpb/5482/live/dfeb3480-7955-11f0-aaf6-d3dc859efb2f.jpg.webp 1024w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/1536/cpsprodpb/5482/live/dfeb3480-7955-11f0-aaf6-d3dc859efb2f.jpg.webp 1536w" src="https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/480/cpsprodpb/5482/live/dfeb3480-7955-11f0-aaf6-d3dc859efb2f.jpg.webp" loading="lazy" alt="Getty Images Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump, silhouetted against the light, are seen walking side-by-side during the G20 summit in Osaka, Japan, in June 2019" class="sc-d1200759-0 dvfjxj"/> Getty Pictures The pair's most up-to-date assembly was in Japan in 2019

The pair met for additional G20 summits in Argentina, in November 2018, and in Japan in June 2019.

John Bolton, Trump's former nationwide safety adviser with whom he later fell out, was current on the latter event. He instructed the BBC he was struck by the lads's differing attitudes to element, which he put right down to Putin's coaching within the Soviet intelligence service.

Of Putin, he stated: "I've by no means seen him any manner aside from being ready, very calm, very cheap in his presentation, and I believe that is a part of his KGB coaching."

In contrast, Bolton stated, Trump's strategy to personal conferences was just like his press conferences in public, in that he was liable to freewheeling statements that would shock even his personal aides. "He does not actually put together for them as a result of he does not actually suppose he must; he does not suppose he wants the background info. I am certain they're making ready briefing supplies as we at all times did, and he will not learn them."

Trump believed {that a} wholesome private relationship with one other chief would imply a wholesome state-to-state relationship, Bolton stated - and Putin knew this. "He'll use his KGB coaching to try to manipulate Trump. He is accomplished it earlier than and he'll do it once more."

Trump himself has downplayed expectations forward of Friday's assembly in Alaska, remarking: "I believe it's going to be good. But it surely may be unhealthy."

<img sizes="(min-width: 1280px) 50vw, (min-width: 1008px) 66vw, 96vw" srcset="https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/240/cpsprodpb/491b/live/5c38a590-7956-11f0-aaf6-d3dc859efb2f.jpg.webp 240w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/320/cpsprodpb/491b/live/5c38a590-7956-11f0-aaf6-d3dc859efb2f.jpg.webp 320w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/480/cpsprodpb/491b/live/5c38a590-7956-11f0-aaf6-d3dc859efb2f.jpg.webp 480w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/640/cpsprodpb/491b/live/5c38a590-7956-11f0-aaf6-d3dc859efb2f.jpg.webp 640w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/800/cpsprodpb/491b/live/5c38a590-7956-11f0-aaf6-d3dc859efb2f.jpg.webp 800w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/1024/cpsprodpb/491b/live/5c38a590-7956-11f0-aaf6-d3dc859efb2f.jpg.webp 1024w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/1536/cpsprodpb/491b/live/5c38a590-7956-11f0-aaf6-d3dc859efb2f.jpg.webp 1536w" src="https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/480/cpsprodpb/491b/live/5c38a590-7956-11f0-aaf6-d3dc859efb2f.jpg.webp" loading="lazy" alt="Getty Images Donald Trump, standing with his hands open at his sides, greets Vladimir Putin in a white room lined with US and Russian flags in a meeting at the G20 summit in Osaka, Japan, in June 2019" class="sc-d1200759-0 dvfjxj"/> Getty Pictures The 2019 Japan assembly got here years earlier than Putin launched his full-scale invasion of Ukraine