Russia’s master negotiator knows Trump’s weaknesses – and will try to exploit them
By Ivor Bennett, Moscow correspondent
Vladimir Putin will know exactly how he wants this to play out.
He is the master negotiator who’s been doing this for decades.
He’ll be across all the details, the history and the legal arguments. And he’ll know that his opponent is not.
His strategy will be to exploit that.
I think the ultimate aim for the Kremlin leader is to convince Donald Trump that the quickest path to peace is a deal on Russia’s terms.
But he can’t present it like that. He’ll have to give the appearance of making concessions, because he knows the American president can’t lose face here. He must have something to show from this summit.
That something could be the promise of a meeting with Volodymyr Zelenskyy, which Trump has once again talked up the chances of.
But if that’s the case, I suspect it’ll be a loose promise, with strings attached. Something the White House can claim is progress, but may prove unachievable.
I expect the Russian president will seek to play on Donald Trump’s desire for a rapid resolution to the conflict and his desire to take credit for it.