‘Putin is Winning’: CNN Panel Gives Summit Verdict Just 5 Minutes In
As viewers watched President Donald Trump and his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, warmly greet one another, a CNN panel of experts quickly declared Putin to be the “winner.”
Abby Phillip first opined on the optics of the United States literally rolling out a red carpet for Putin in this historic summit, saying, “It’s a visual that you know, our reporters in the region say is just rubbing Ukraine the wrong way to roll out the red carpet for a man who is wanted for war crimes against Ukraine in what might be a negotiation, is is something that is not going to be received well there.”
“But I will say that Trump does this as he goes into negotiations, in part to make Putin feel welcomed, to make him feel like they are buddies again,” she added. “And whether or not he uses that to his strategic advantage, we will find out. But it’s one that, you know, if Ukraine is our ally in this conflict, is rubbing our ally the wrong way.”
“That’s the test,” John King then concurred. “I mean, Putin is winning in the early moments of this because he’s getting a picture, greeted by the president of the United States on U.S. Soil after more than three years of being a pariah in the world for invading a democracy in Europe. The question is, will it be judged by the substance? If they get substance, if there’s legitimate progress toward a ceasefire or some progress toward ending the war in Ukraine, that Ukraine can accept, then that’s how the summit will be judged.”
“But these pictures are being shown all across Russia right now, all across Europe right now,” King concluded.
Rahm Emanuel was quick to agree with King, saying of Putin, “This is a guy that could not put a plane down except in an isolated country that already has sanctions. He is in a country now, he’s on a military base, given basically as red carpet it goes, he’s given honors, so to say, to come here. This is a jail visit for him, and it’s a big, big deal.”
Watch above via CNN.
