Alexander Rahr: "It will not be easy for Trump to open opportunities for cooperation with Russia"

US President Donald Trump said that he plans to invite Russian President Vladimir Putin to the White House, but at the right time. Such a statement Trump made after meeting with Putin on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Hamburg, which lasted for more than two hours instead of 30 minutes as earlier scheduled. The presidents of Russia and the US discussed the settlement in Syria and Ukraine, the Korean Peninsula crisis and issues of ensuring security in cyber space. The political scientist Alexander Rahr shared his vision of the meeting, speaking with Vestnik Kavkaza.

- Today, there are very different views regarding the Putin-Trump meeting. The communication channel was created, but what is the dry balance for each of the parties?

- I think that the American leadership elite will do everything to make this meeting ultimately unproductive.  In this situation, the US establishment is not interested in any alliance between Russia and America. These circles, which are hostile to Russia, are looking for new reasons to trigger a cold war, unfortunately. Trump doesn't think the same way, I think. He will try at least discover for himself, for America, some opportunities for cooperation with Russia. But it will not be easy, because even his close advisers erect barriers to protect the president from contacts with Russia.

Anyway, it was an interesting symbolic meeting, it was an acquaintance. After some time, they will meet again, and then it will be possible for them to talk about cooperation, especially on Syria.

- Do you expect any new points of confrontation to appear in the post-Soviet space?

- They can appear at any time. I am afraid that the next confrontation may be in Moldova. I do not exclude that the confrontation in Ukraine continues. The fight against international terrorism is again intensified in Central Asia, but it can only be conducted jointly, not separately. Unfortunately, conflicts do not subside, and we should strive to resolve them.