A few minutes ago Trump decided to cancel his meeting with Putin at the G20 over the fact that the Ukrainians and their ships that were seized by Russia haven’t been returned:
Based on the fact that the ships and sailors have not been returned to Ukraine from Russia, I have decided it would be best for all parties concerned to cancel my previously scheduled meeting……..in Argentina with President Vladimir Putin. I look forward to a meaningful Summit again as soon as this situation is resolved!
The tweets:
Based on the fact that the ships and sailors have not been returned to Ukraine from Russia, I have decided it would be best for all parties concerned to cancel my previously scheduled meeting....
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 29, 2018
....in Argentina with President Vladimir Putin. I look forward to a meaningful Summit again as soon as this situation is resolved!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 29, 2018
Earlier today in his outdoor press conference, Trump said he hadn’t terminated the meeting yet. So he must’ve tweeted it right after he decided to cancel it.
And I like the fact that he did because it might look bad for him to be meeting with Putin while these sailors are still being held hostage.
But I think it also suggests something interesting, that Trump isn’t negotiating for the release of these sailors, at least not with discussions. Presumably if he had met with Putin he could have argued that he was making an appeal on the soldiers behalf. The fact that isn’t happening would suggest that Trump may be thinking of other more punitive ways to deal with Putin.