16, July 2018
Trump and Putin meet at closely watched Helsinki summit 0
US President Donald Trump is sitting down with Russia’s Vladimir Putin, in Helsinki, Finland on Monday for a meeting that comes amid heightened tensions with Europe and an ongoing inquiry into Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election.
The US and Russian leaders opened the historic summit on Monday with Trump promising an “extraordinary relationship” and Putin saying it was high time they thrashed out disputes around the world.
Looking sombre, they exchanged opening remarks in front of reporters before their closed-door meeting. Trump underlined his sentiment that getting along with Russia would be “a good thing, not a bad thing”. Putin, for his part, said, “The time has come to talk in a substantive way about our relations and problem areas of the world.”
Hours before his first ever summit with Putin, Trump had said that “US foolishness” was responsible for Washington’s poor relationship with Moscow.
“Our relationship with Russia has NEVER been worse,” he tweeted from Helsinki on Monday morning, blaming “many years of US foolishness and stupidity and now, the Rigged Witch Hunt!”
Trump’s comments showed how much domestic political pressure he is under over the summit. Critics and his own advisers have urged him to use the meeting to pressure Putin over his country’s role in the 2016 election and other “malign” activities.
On Friday, the special counsel investigating Russian meddling indicted 12 Russian military intelligence officers for hacking the Democratic National Committee and the campaign of Trump’s rival, Hillary Clinton.
Yet Trump has refused to criticise Putin, instead focusing his frustration over US-Russian ties on his own country. His stance has raised questions back at home, with Clinton tweeting: “Great World Cup. Question for President Trump as he meets Putin: Do you know which team you play for?”
Despite the criticism, Trump appeared upbeat during a breakfast with Finnish President Sauli Niinistö just hours before his meeting with Putin. Asked what he would say to Putin, Trump said: “We’ll do just fine, thank you.”
The two leaders were expected to first meet one-on-one with only their interpreters, followed by a working lunch accompanied by advisers, and a joint news conference.
A win for Russia
Neither side expects major breakthroughs from the talks and the outcome is uncertain given sharp differences between Washington and Moscow over everything from Syria to Ukraine.
For Putin, the fact that the summit is even happening despite Russia’s semi-pariah status among some Americans and US allies is a geopolitical win because, in Russian eyes, it shows that Washington recognises Moscow as a great power that cannot be isolated or ignored.
The Kremlin made clear beforehand it did not expect an easy meeting, taking Trump to task over his criticism of a planned Russian gas pipeline to Germany and suggesting it would be hard to find common ground on Syria because of differences over Iran.
Russia hoped however that the summit would be “the first step” in overcoming a crisis in relations, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told Russia’s RT TV station. “Presidents Trump and Putin respect each other and they get along well,” said Peskov. “There is no clear agenda. It will be determined by the heads of state themselves as they go along.”
Trump wants Russia to use its influence in Syria, where it is backing President Bashar al-Assad militarily, to push Iranian and Iranian-allied forces out.
“Of course Syria will be discussed by the two presidents,” said Peskov. “We all know what Washington thinks of Iran. But at the same time Iran is a good partner to us in terms of trade, economic cooperation and political dialogue. So this will not be an easy exchange of views.”
Trump has predicted he will be accused of being too soft on Putin no matter how the summit goes. “If I was given the great city of Moscow as retribution for all of the sins and evils committed by Russia…I would return to criticism that it wasn’t good enough – that I should have gotten Saint Petersburg in addition!” he tweeted on Sunday.
He has said he will raise the issue of Russian election meddling, but does not expect to get anywhere.
The Helsinki summit is the capstone to a nearly week-long trip for Trump, during which he has sown doubts over his commitment to the NATO military alliance, undermined the US’s so-called special relationship with Britain, and denigrated the European Union as a trade “foe”.
(FRANCE 24 with REUTERS and AFP)
16, July 2018
Russia 2018: A United Nations of football talent led France to glory 0
Antoine Griezmann’s father emigrated from Germany and the France forward’s mother is of Portuguese descent. Paul Pogba’s parents arrived from Guinea. Kylian Mbappe’s dad is from Cameroon, his mum Algerian.
Immigrants, sons of immigrants and grandsons of immigrants bonded together with scions of families that have been French for generations, all for the rouge, blanc et bleu. And for only the second time, France is the World Cup champion.
About two-thirds of Les Bleus’ roster included players with immigrant backgrounds, a mini-United Nations of soccer talent. “That is the France that we love,” Griezmann said through a translator after Sunday’s 4-2 victory over Croatia ended the most exciting World Cup final in decades. “It’s beautiful to see it.”
Mbappe’s speed led to the third goal in the 59th. He added a goal of his own in the 65th, at 19 becoming the second-youngest scorer in a World Cup final behind 17-year-old Pele in 1958.
Vive la diversite!
A day after Bastille Day, the party was on.
“The diversity of the squad is in the image of this beautiful country that is France,” midfielder Blaise Matuidi, whose parents are from Angola and Congo, said through a translator ahead of the match.
France won on a humid night in Russia, with thunderclaps during play and a downpour during the trophy presentation. Quite different from that indelible summer evening at Stade de France in 1998, when fans in the arena and throughout Paris sang “La Marseillaise” until dawn and young teenagers drove cars while their intoxicated parents sat in passenger seats.
People called that team “Black, Blanc, Beur,” noting how black, white and North African players came together.
Zinedine Zidane, a son of Algerians, headed in a pair of first-half corner kicks against heavily favored Brazil. Patrick Vieira, born in Senegal, fed Normandy-born Emmanuel Petit for the third in the 3-0 win.
This year’s team was perhaps even more diverse.
Defender Samuel Umtiti was born in Cameroon and backup goalkeeper Steve Mandanda in Zaire. Others descended from Algeria, Mali, Mauritania, Mococco and Senegal, plus Germany, Italy, Portugal and Spain.
“There may be players who come from different origins, but we do have the same state of mind,” Griezmann said. “We all play for the same jersey, the cockerel. For our country, we give everything we have. As soon as you wear the jersey, we do everything for each other.”
He scored the go-ahead goal after the first video review-created penalty kick in a World Cup final. During a delay of about four minutes that might have unnerved less-composed players, Griezmann told himself to pretend it was a league match.
“Carry on and do the same thing as I normally do,” he remembered thinking.
At 27, he is in his prime but in the penumbra of Spanish soccer powers at Atletico Madrid, toiling in a league that Barcelona and Real Madrid dominate. He led the 2016 European Championship with six goals and tied for second with four at this World Cup, three on penalty kicks, earning the Bronze Ball as third-best player behind Croatia midfielder Luka Modric and Belgium forward Eden Hazard.
Griezmann kissed the trophy, knowing his generation will be revered in the same way Zidane, Petit, Thierry Henry, Lilian Thuram and Fabien Barthez remain renowned from Calais to Cannes.
“From tonight on, I’m sorry for them, but they are going to be different,” coach Didier Deschamps said. “Those 23 players will be linked forever, forever. Whatever happens – they might follow different paths, but they will be marked forever and they will be together thanks to this event.”
Griezmann, man of the match in a World Cup final, will be on posters throughout the republic, asked for endorsements, a mainstay of commercials. He will be pestered for autographs for the rest of his life.
“I’m going to be in the history of French football with my team,” Griezmann said. “We don’t quite realize it yet. Our children will be very proud to have our names.”
(AP)