WASHINGTON: Donald Trump styles himself as a strongman. And that’s exactly what he sees in Vladimir Putin.
Their complicated relationship will be put to the test at a summit in Alaska on Friday, where the two leaders who claim to admire each other will seek to outmaneuver one another over how to end Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
While the two were close to a bromance during Trump’s first term (2017-2021), their relationship has grown strained during his second term. The US president has expressed anger with Putin for pressing on with his brutal three-year-old war in Ukraine, which Trump calls “ridiculous.”
Trump describes the summit as “really a feel-out meeting” to evaluate Putin’s readiness to negotiate an end to the war.
“I’m going to be telling him, ‘You’ve got to end this war,’” Trump said.
