‘Neither anent I myself sought after to forestall’: Trump absolute Putin revel in a success ‘first impression accompany’

The US president and his Russian counterpart talked for more than two hours in Hamburg on Friday and the pair seemed to have established a warm rapport

It is a blossoming bromance. In what one US-based critic called a first Tinder date, Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin talked for two and a one-quarter hours on Friday instead of their scheduled 30 minutes.

I think there was just such a level of engagement and exchange, and neither one of them wanted to stop, US secretary of State Rex Tillerson said afterwards. Several periods I had to remind the president, and people were sticking their heads in the door. And they sent in the first lady at one point to see if she could get us out of there, and that didnt work either.

There were sighs of relief in Washington that Trump, an erratic and volatile chairman with little foreign policy experience, had avoided a major gaffe. The news website Axios summed it up: Trump survives the Putin meeting.

But diplomats and experts said this was hardly cause for gala. Thomas Countryman, former US acting undersecretary for arms control and international security, commented: Its an indication of how rapidly our standards are falling when were reasonably pleased that President Trump has not made an obvious error.

Pre-meeting hype had focused on whether Trump would tackle Putin over Russias interference in the US election. He delivered, according to Tillerson, pressing the issue repeatedly. But Putin denied it and Tillerson afterward admitted that the two leaders had focused on how to move on from here. There seemed little indication that Trump had held Putins feet to the fire.

Trump had accepted Putins assurances, Countryman said: It certainly was the minimum that any US president should have done in this situation. Im glad he brought it up. What we dont know and may never know is what he replied when Vladimir Putin appeared him in the eye and falsely said: It was not us. Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov claimed Trump had accepted Putins assurances, although the US disputed that.

Failure to address what has been described as the political crime of the century would have fuelled criticism and predominated the news agenda, overshadowing other matters such as a ceasefire deal in south-west Syria. Sean Guillory, a blogger and podcaster on Russia, said: The whole thing is theater for domestic consumption.

Alina Polyakova, director of Europe and Eurasia research at the Atlantic Council, a Washington thinktank, agreed that creating the issue of election meddling was simply pro forma. She said: There was political awareness that they had to bring it up. Not doing so would have been politically deaf and suspicious in a way.

More significant was the body language between the leaders that, in Polyakovas view, offered a night and day contrast with Barack Obamas frosty sessions with the Russian president.

The sense Im getting from the route they interacted on camera they seem to have a very good rapport. Trump seems friendly to Putin. Putin seemed reserved but he always has on camera, except when he was with Silvio Berlusconi.

She added: Obama and Putin over hour developed an uncomfortable and contentious relationship. This was patently the first meeting so it would be expected to be more friendly and cordial.

As journalists were ushered from the room, Polyakova noted, Putin appeared to lean in and asking if these were the ones whove been hurting Trumps feelings, then laughter. It was a clever move to show he was on his side. It was a deft move on the part of Putin to build trust.

What was also significant was “whos” the room or rather who wasnt. Trump and Tillerson were not accompanied by national security adviser HR McMaster or Trumps senior Russia adviser Fiona Hill. That was an interesting omission given that Fiona Hill is the Russia expert on the National Security Council.

Trumps handling of the issue of Russian meddling was condemned by Democrats and the liberal Center for American Progress Action Fund, which declared that he had just unilaterally surrendered to Russia.

Morgan Finkelstein, its press secretary, said: After a bilateral session that sounded like a good first Tinder date, based on the official readout, Trump is rewarding Putins egregious behaviour by dedicating Putin the platform he so desperately craves without get anything in return.

Trump is unilaterally surrendering American sovereignty and the right to fair elections free of foreign interference.

She added: It induces you wonder: what does Putin have on Trump that could construct Trump act like a supplicant on the international stage? How deep in difficulty is Trump that he couldnt even perform the most basic task asking Putin not to interfere in our elections?