What Will Putin "seduce" Trump With At The Alaska Meeting?

Sky News expert analysis.

In his meeting with Donald Trump in Alaska, Russian leader Vladimir Putin will have to pretend to make concessions as he knows the American president cannot lose face. However, as Sky News correspondent Ivor Bennett writes, Putin is a master negotiator who knows exactly what he wants and how to get it.

"He will be aware of all the details, the background and the legal arguments. And he will know that his opponent is not so knowledgeable. His strategy will be to take advantage of that," Bennett writes.

In his view, Putin's ultimate goal is to convince Trump that the shortest path to peace is a deal on Russia's terms. To achieve this, Putin will have to create the appearance of concessions and offer Trump something at the summit.

"That something could be the promise of a meeting with Vladimir Zelensky, the likelihood of which Trump has again talked about. But if it is, I suspect it will be a vague promise with caveats. The White House may claim progress, but it may not be achievable," Bennett writes.

He believes Putin will try to play on Trump's desire for a speedy resolution to the conflict and his desire to take credit for it. This is why Putin is "buttering him up" so much before the meeting, praising Trump's "energetic and sincere" efforts to achieve peace, the journalist writes.

"I think he will also try to appeal to Trump's business nature and tempt him with various 'sweeteners' that could result from siding with Russia. That means things like rare earth metal deals and joint projects in the Arctic, which is why the Russian delegation includes Finance Minister Anton Siluanov and the Kremlin's special envoy for investment Kirill Dmitriev."

In addition, the presence of Defense Minister Andrey Belousov in the delegation may indicate that Putin is serious about concluding a nuclear arms control deal. Such an agreement would almost certainly be a coveted goal of the American president.

"Putin's task is to make Trump feel in charge. For a former KGB agent, that may not be a difficult task," Bennett emphasizes.

You can support the website Charter97.org

MULTI-CURRENCY ACCOUNT FOR ASSISTANCE:

Bank's name: Bank Millennium S.A.
Address: ul. Stanislawa Zaryna, 2A, 02-593, Warszawa
IBAN: PL97116022020000000216711123
SWIFT: BIGBPLPW
Name of the account holder: Fundacja “KARTA ‘97”
Purpose/title of payment: Donation for statuary aims

You can contact us by the e-mail charter97@gmail.com