Any signal from Trump that Moscow and Washington can put aside past differences and forge a new relationship is a victory for Putin. (Reuters)The body language was genial when Trump and Putin shook hands in their first encounter Friday at the G-20, a gathering of the world’s leading economies. Video on a German government Facebook page showed Putin adding a friendly little finger point and a smile, while Trump clapped the Russian leader on the shoulder. [In 1961, Kennedy irked that Soviet leader “beat the hell out of me” at talks]Traditional Russian nesting dolls at a Moscow gift shop depict President Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin. U.S. sanctions over Russia’s annexation of Crimea were broadened to punish Moscow for backing the separatists militarily, which Putin has denied.

Source: Washington Post July 07, 2017 09:05 UTC