Ahead of Trump-Putin meeting, lack of preparation leads to low expectations

President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin were welcomed to Helsinki, Finland, with a potent message about the importance of press freedom ahead of their bilateral summit.

But far from his prediction that the Putin meeting would be the “easiest” part of his swing through Europe, the summit comes freighted with new tensions, after 12 Russian military intelligence agents were indicted for hacking Democrats during the 2016 election.

“Missed opportunity by President Trump to firmly hold Russian Federation accountable for 2016 meddling and deliver a strong warning regarding future elections”, Republican Senator Lindsey Graham said on Twitter.

Speaking in Scotland, he said: “I think the European Union is a foe, what they do to us in trade”.

“I think the probe is a disaster for our country”, Trump said.

But, insisting he had won the race fair and square, the wealthy property tycoon said: “I have President Putin, he just said it is not Russian Federation. He may come in with maps of Syria, maps of Ukraine, and, frankly, I think he’ll take advantage of this President, who we know doesn’t do much prep work before these meetings”. He said on Twitter as he left for Helsinki he was “looking forward to meeting with President Putin”. “The damage inflicted by President Trump’s naiveté, egotism, false equivalence, and sympathy for autocrats is hard to calculate”.

If his instinct proves right and the pair find common ground, then the summit may take the heat out of some of the world’s most risky conflicts including Syria. He said Trump was not well enough prepared for the meeting.

“Everything that happens, all these investigations and so on – this is an internal affair of the United States”, Peskov told the state-run broadcaster Russia Today. Instead, Paul said Trump and other US officials should focus on safeguarding upcoming elections from interference.

President Donald Trump is claiming credit for bolstering North Atlantic Treaty Organisation as he heads into a day of meetings with Russia’s Vladimir Putin. “It will be determined by the heads of state themselves as they go along”.

Russia’s constitution also prohibits turning over citizens to foreign governments.

Those leaders are already fuming over Trump’s imposition of trade tariffs on various countries, including Russian Federation.

He vowed not to be “taken advantage” of by the European Union, which he accuses of freeloading by relying on the U.S. for its defence while blocking USA imports into the bloc, the world’s biggest market.

The Arizona lawmakers weren’t the only members of Congress to take issue with Trump’s performance.

USA intelligence officials are in agreement that Russian Federation interfered in the 2016 election using a wide array of methods, including but not limited to hacking the Democratic National Committee’s emails, breaking into American voting infrastructure and launching a sprawling misinformation campaign.

Ryan, the top Republican in the U.S. House of Representatives, was tempered in his remarks but insisted that Trump “must appreciate that Russian Federation is not our ally”.

Even Trump’s sometimes ally Sen.

Democrats had called for the summit’s cancellation after new revelations surrounding the election meddling.

Trump has repeatedly called Mueller’s investigation a “witch hunt”.

Trump also says he intends to pressure Vladimir Putin over the rapid growth and modernisation of Russia’s nuclear arsenal.