RUSSIA/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “President Vladimir Putin on Thursday [7-19-18] defended Donald Trump from angry criticism following their summit in Helsinki, as the U.S. president called for a second face-to-face meeting with his Russian counterpart. Mr. Putin, in his first comments in days, praised the Helsinki summit and said it led to some ‘useful promises.’ Little more than an hour later, Mr. Trump tweeted that he wanted a follow-up meeting with Mr. Putin to work on the issues he said they discussed, including terrorism, Israeli security, nuclear proliferation and cyberattacks. The official details surrounding the Helsinki summit, which included a one-on-one meeting between the two leaders and didn’t end with a final communiqué, are still murky. Mr. Putin, in his speech to ambassadors at the Russian Foreign Ministry, said the two leaders spoke about ensuring the security of the Golan Heights. Without offering details, he also mentioned the need to renew arms treaties, including the nuclear arms reduction treaty New Start.”
–Thomas Grove, “Putin Defends Trump From Critics, Says Summit Was a Success,” The Wall Street Journal, July 19, 2018 11:22 am