From Hamburg to Alaska: The history of unsuccessful meetings between Trump and Putin

The Alaska summit is the sixth of the official and well-known meetings between Trump and Putin. If Trump’s interview from 12 years ago is to be believed, the August 15 meeting will be the seventh for him and Putin. Before this, they had come face-to-face at the international summits held in different parts of the world. Meetings held in the years 2017, 2018, and 2019 are among them. Today, we are going to go through those negotiations and brief conversations one by one.

Unknown meeting.

The meetings between Trump and Putin have not always been formal. Donald Trump has said he met Putin as a businessman as well. In the second decade of this century, Trump used to mention Russia more often than not. In the famous show organized by David Letterman in 2013, Trump recalled his meeting with Putin, describing him as “clever” and “strong”. But Trump did not specify where and when the meeting took place.

First official meeting – Hamburg

Before the Alaska summit, all official meetings between Trump and Putin were held during Trump’s first term as president. They met five times between 2017 and 2019. The first meeting was organized in Hamburg, Germany, on July 7, 2017, within the framework of the G20 summit. The meeting lasted for two hours. Meanwhile, rumors circulated regarding Russian interference in the US presidential election and Trump’s rise to power with Russian help. However, the leaders decided to dedicate their focus to such issues as cooperation in cybersecurity, shared interests, and the Syrian conflict. During the meeting, Putin unsuccessfully attempted to ease the sanctions imposed upon Russia after the annexation of Crimea in 2014. Nevertheless, both leaders agreed on a ceasefire along the conflict lines in Syria.

The second official meeting – Vietnam

The second official meeting between the leaders took place during the APEC summit in Da Nang, Vietnam, on November 11, 2017. The meeting was shorter and informal as compared to the former one. Nonetheless, they discussed the Syrian conflict and Russia’s alleged interference in the 2016 presidential election in the US. Afterwards, Trump stated that the Russian leader denied the allegations and made sure he had never done so, expressing strong confidence in Putin.

Third official meeting – Helsinki

The most famous meeting between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin was held on July 16, 2018, in Helsinki. Putin travelled to Finland the day after the conclusion of the World Cup in Russia. The meeting is particularly remembered for the press conference moment when Putin presented Trump with a ball used in the World Cup hosted by Russia. However, other aspects of the meeting also stood out, as the 2016 election controversy remained highly relevant at the Helsinki summit. At that time, special prosecutor Robert Mueller’s investigation Russia’s interference in the 2016 US election. elections and the indictment of 12 Russian intelligence officers for cyberattacks on Democratic targets were at the center of attention.

The meeting in Finland began with a two-hour private discussion between Trump and Putin, accompanied only by their translators. Afterwards, they held a joint press conference, during which Trump specifically addressed the issue of election interference. He acknowledged the concerns raised by U.S. intelligence agencies but emphasized that Putin was not personally involved. Following this, Trump’s defense of Putin drew criticism not only from democrats but also from republicans. Many had expected, after the special prosecutor’s investigations, that Trump would finally oppose Russia and criticize the Russian president on the issue of election interference. However, he did not do so, and his approach intensified dissatisfaction within U.S. political circles. As a result, the Helsinki summit did not lead to any significant political achievements or positive changes.

Failed fourth meeting – Buenos Aires

Following the Helsinki summit, they met again in 2018. The G20 summit took place on December 1 that year in Buenos Aires. They were expected to meet formally then, but Trump suddenly canceled the meeting after Russia reportedly seized three Ukrainian navy vessels. But it became clear that they met behind closed doors a day before the scheduled meeting. Although a one-on-one meeting was not held, the leaders were said to have spoken with each other during the dinner organized for world leaders on November 30.

Fifth meeting - Osaka

The latest meeting between them before the Alaska summit was held on June 28, 2019, during the G20 summit in Osaka, Japan. The meeting coincided with the time when Mueller's statements proving Russian interference in the US presidential elections were revealed. During their brief photo session, Trump was besieged with questions about whether he could oppose Russia’s meddling in elections. Trump turned to his Russian counterpart then, jokingly telling Putin, “Please do not interfere with our elections”. Furthermore, Putin invited Trump to take part in the Victory Parade Day to be held in 2020. But Trump did not attend the ceremony.

From years of respect to the Alaska summit,

Almost all of the meetings mentioned above took place in contentious environments. More precisely, the conflict was not directly between the two individuals. The issue was linked to Trump’s unexpected victory in the 2016 U.S. presidential election. Throughout most of that year, polls showed Hillary Clinton in the lead. However, in the end, Trump unexpectedly won the election, defeating Clinton. This outcome was followed by speculation about Russian hackers interfering in the U.S. elections, which created persistent problems for Trump throughout his first term and his subsequent four-year administration. In particular, this issue arose repeatedly at every summit he held with Putin.

Nevertheless, he maintained cordial relations with Putin. Even after securing his second presidential term for about six months, Trump refrained from sending any sharp or serious signals to the Russian president. However, by the summer of this year, Trump began making statements against Putin, warning that, unless the war was stopped, Russia and its allies would face serious consequences. Not long after, the two leaders ultimately decided to meet face-to-face, rather than just over a phone call. Thus, the Alaska summit can be seen as a result of Trump’s changed rhetoric a few months prior. Otherwise, the Russian leader might have continued trying to manipulate Trump from the Kremlin, while the Shahed drones continued to strike over Ukraine. Nevertheless, Trump stated that the Alaska summit was taking place according to the Russian leader’s appeal. Whatever the case, the night from August 15 to August 16 would be a very long one. In short, everyone’s eyes are on Alaska.