Speculation over how the upcoming meeting with President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin has run rampant over the last week, with some expressing concern the Alaska-based powwow could be more games from the Kremlin, while others have begun to draw comparisons to the 1985 breakthrough meeting between President Ronald Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev.
Immediately following Trump’s announcement of the meeting last week, South Carolina GOP Sen. Lindsey Graham, who has been ardently opposed to Russia’s war in Ukraine, took to social media to argue, “To those who criticize President Trump for being willing to meet with Putin to end the bloodbath in Ukraine – remember Reagan met with Gorbachev to try to end the Cold War.
“I’m confident President Trump will walk away – like Reagan – if Putin insists on a bad deal,” he added.
At the closing ceremony for the Geneva Summit, Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev and President Ronald Reagan face each other, on Nov. 21, 1985. (Bettmann via Getty Images)
There are clear differences in how Putin – who has openly chastised Gorbachev and referred to the collapse of the Soviet Union as the “greatest geopolitical catastrophe of the century” in a 2005 speech – operates in comparison to his Soviet predecessor.
Though some have argued there are similarities in how Trump works as a statesman, in comparison to Reagan.
The White House and other GOP figures have argued that Trump has utilized Reagan’s “peace through strength” approach in his geopolitical maneuvering since taking office in January.
“I believe there will be compelling comparisons between Trump’s ‘peace through strength’ approach to Putin and Reagan’s approach to Gorbachev,” Fleitz, who serves as vice chair of the America First Policy Institute’s Center for American Security, said. “Reagan’s strong leadership on the world stage promoted global stability and contributed to the fall of the Soviet Union.
“Putin is coming to the Alaska Summit because he sees a strong U.S. president and one who is prepared to impose crippling energy sanctions on Russia,” he added.
Rough echoed this line of reasoning but warned much will be determined in how Trump handles Putin in the upcoming summit.
“Trump has leverage unlike any other Western leader,” Rough argued. “I like the formula ‘peace through strength’ but the devil will be in the details.”
President Donald Trump meets with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Helsinki, July 16, 2018. (Reuters/Kevin Lamarque)
“If the president backs his diplomatic effort in Alaska with a concrete threat of economic pressure on Russia and perhaps even talk of arms sales to Ukraine, I think the odds of him pushing Putin into a ceasefire improve,” Rough added.
Trump has already said he does not plan on making any deals, and described the talks as a “feel-out meeting” or a “listening exercise,” as White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt detailed to reporters on Tuesday.
The president said he will immediately communicate with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and other European leaders following his discussion with Putin.
