Putin says Trump can 'be my guest' in Moscow, White House welcomes idea

By Roberta Rampton and Denis Pinchuk

 

U.S. President Donald Trump speaks about the economy while delivering remarks on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, U.S., July 27, 2018. REUTERS/Carlos Barria

 

WASHINGTON/JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Friday he wanted U.S. President Donald Trump to be his guest in Moscow, an idea that the White House welcomed despite lingering criticism over the Helsinki summit.

 

The Russian leader said on a visit to South Africa for an economic conference that "appropriate conditions" were required in both countries for another summit to take place, an apparent reference to a political uproar in the United States last week after the two men met.

 

The White House said Trump was enthusiastic about another summit. Trump has said he wants to improve ties between the two nuclear powers, whose relations have dipped to a post-Cold War low in recent years.

 

"President Trump looks forward to having President Putin to Washington after the first of the year, and he is open to visiting Moscow upon receiving a formal invitation," White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders said in a statement.

 

Separately, U.S. Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis said he was considering the possibility of the first talks in years between the defence chiefs of the United States and Russia. Mattis said there had been no decision.

 

Trump was criticized at home for failing to confront Putin publicly over Moscow's interference in the 2016 U.S. election, and for seeming to contradict his own intelligence agencies on the threat from Russia. Trump has defended his conduct.

 

The White House said no agreements were reached in the one-on-one meeting with Putin other than having national security teams meet. No policy changes came out of the summit, Mattis said on Friday, adding he had also not been given new direction on Syria.

 

Moscow's military support starting in 2015 of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in the Syrian war, Russia's 2014 annexation of Crimea from Ukraine and the conclusions of U.S. intelligence agencies that Russia meddled in the election have soured relations.

Russia is under punitive sanctions imposed by the United States and the European Union and wants them lifted.

 

Putin told reporters on Friday: "We need for the appropriate conditions to exist, to be created, including in our countries" for more U.S.-Russia summits.

 

Putin went on to say Russia was ready to greet Trump in Moscow. "Be my guest. He has such an invitation, I told him that."

 

Following the backlash in the United States over Trump's cordial public tone with Putin in Helsinki, U.S. and Russian officials backed away from Trump's proposal to schedule a follow-up meeting in Washington in the fall.

 

The White House on Wednesday postponed that invitation until next year, when a federal investigation of Russian election interference could be finished.

 

The last time Trump was in the Russian capital was as a private citizen in 2013 to attend a Miss Universe beauty pageant. That visit surfaced in the FBI investigation of Russian election activities in the form of a dossier containing allegations that Trump had spent time with Russian prostitutes there. Trump has denied the allegations.

 

Efforts by both Trump and Putin to achieve detente have been fiercely resisted by U.S. lawmakers, including some in Trump's own Republican Party, accusing him of being too friendly toward Putin, whom they consider an adversary of the United States.

 

U.S. intelligence agencies concluded last year that Moscow waged an influence campaign to help Trump win the White House by hacking into Democratic Party computers and using fake social media accounts to denigrate Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton.

 

Trump, whose advisers have warned him Russia continues its interference in the run-up to congressional elections in November, met with his national security aides on Friday to discuss election security.

 

A White House statement said the meeting addressed threats to elections "from malign foreign actors" and efforts on providing cyber security assistance to state and local authorities.

 

Trump has repeatedly denied his campaign colluded with Russia and has characterized the investigation by Special Counsel Robert Mueller as a witch hunt. Trump is infuriated by any suggestion he might owe his election victory to Russia.

 

Trump on Friday denied knowing in advance about a 2016 meeting his son Donald Trump Jr. and other campaign staff had at Trump Tower with a group of Russians who offered damaging information on Clinton. A CNN report said his longtime lawyer Michael Cohen planned to tell Mueller that Trump did know of the meeting.

 

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2018-07-28

Owned!

Nothing wrong with Talking.  As Mattis says be nice but have a plan to kill everyone.

Brand new (dry) mattresses available.

 

My guess is that Melania would be left at home, to watch CNN.

51 minutes ago, Chomper Higgot said:

Owned!

The Finland meeting was close to home for Putin, next meeting will be at home for him.

Putin gets the upper hand when Trumpf has to travel far for meets.

Perhaps Putin’s offer was opened ended. 

Who knows?  It may turn out to be a long-term residence as in the case of Julius Assange.

I hope that Trump will accept Putins invitation to come to Russia. If the timing is right, pehaps Trump may be convinced to stay on there permanently. If Trump were indicted while overseas, what are the odds that he'd come back to the US to fight things. My thoughts are that he'd cut and run rather than fight in court a battle he won't win. Plus he'd never agree to serve time in prison. Please Donnie, go to Russia.

Welcome to my Novichock party big orange one come alone tweet me any time. Vlad x

Pee Pee tape part deux

If Donald and Melania get divorced, will she get to split the White House with Putin?

Awww Donald and his bromance go Donald go sit at the feet of your master 

Meanwhile, a global shortage of rubber under sheets has been reported as Moscow hoteliers have rushed to buy the entire stock.  A White House spokesman said that they are unconcerned about this news as the presidential bed was already fitted with one early in 2017. 

Edited July 28, 20187 yr by ballpoint

They can share one Hotel-room..

Edited July 28, 20187 yr by Destiny1990

3 hours ago, sammieuk1 said:

Welcome to my Novichock party big orange one come alone tweet me any time. Vlad x

 

Vlad's preferred methods at home are "concrete poisoning" or "gravity overdose" (defenestration).

 

 

Let him GO to Russia and stay there.

 

Russia will get what it wants, and the majority of Americans will get what they want -- RID OF TRUMP!!!

16 hours ago, lom said:

The Finland meeting was close to home for Putin, next meeting will be at home for him.

Putin gets the upper hand when Trumpf has to travel far for meets.

I hope whoever does his travel planning books a one way ticket...

No, he CAN'T be.