Russian President Vladimir Putin holds a strong negotiating position ahead of his upcoming meeting with US President Donald Trump, having secured political leverage "without making a single concession," Lebanese newspaper Al Nahar reports.
"While it's still too early to predict the outcome of the talks, Putin clearly enters them from a position of strength," the article states. The mere fact that the meeting is taking place, analysts argue, marks a diplomatic victory for the Kremlin—proof that Western attempts to isolate Moscow have failed. According to Al Nahar, the Russian leader has gained this advantage while conceding nothing of substance, all while continuing to shape the terms for a potential ceasefire in Ukraine.
The report also dismisses Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelenskyy and European leaders' "failed gamble" that relations between Trump and Putin would sour irreparably. That strategy, the article concludes, was "doomed from the start," given the Russian president’s calculated and strategic approach to diplomacy.
GSV "Russia - Islamic World"
Photo: official website of the President of the Russian Federation
Based on materials from TASS