【By Observer Net, Qi Qian】

U.S.-Russia summit concludes, U.S. bipartisan disputes begin.

According to Fox News and Reuters on August 15, in Alaska, U.S. President Trump and Russian President Putin held talks, which "went smoothly." In Washington D.C., both parties of Congress reacted strongly, but their attitudes toward the meeting were different, leading to heated arguments.

Republicans praised Trump as "tough," and were pushing for him to win the Nobel Peace Prize; however, Democrats accused Trump of being too friendly, calling him a "sycophant" for Putin. Meanwhile, the Russian domestic media began celebrating "victory."

Spokeswoman of the Russian Foreign Ministry Zarikova said that once the West laid out the red carpet for Putin, the narrative of "isolating Russia" would collapse on its own.

Republicans: The Nobel Prize, Trump deserves it!

Republicans generally supported Trump's approach to the summit.

Tennessee Republican Congressman Andy Ogles announced after the summit that he planned to draft a nomination for Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize.

Republicans say they plan to draft a peace prize nomination, screenshot of a tweet

Ogles wrote: "Today, President Trump did something that no other world leader has done — brought Russia and the United States back to the negotiating table... I am drafting his nomination for the Nobel Peace Prize. Stay tuned."

Florida Republican Congressman Brian Mast believed that Trump demonstrated a firm stance towards Putin. According to his description, the B-2 bomber flying over Putin's head was "no coincidence," but rather an intentional signal from Trump to Putin. He claimed, "President Trump clearly showed that Putin is in a difficult position, and what Trump said 'there may be very serious consequences' was serious."

Some Republicans also used the opportunity to criticize the previous Biden administration for not taking necessary actions to prevent the Ukraine war.

It is worth noting that during the summit, Putin told reporters that he believed Trump and the Republicans' statements, that if the current U.S. president was Trump instead of Biden, the Ukraine conflict might not have happened at all.

South Carolina Republican Senator Lindsay Graham said after the summit: "The key to ending the war in a dignified and fair way is to establish a deterrent mechanism that Biden and Obama failed to do." He also pointed out that it was necessary to arrange a meeting between Trump, Putin, and Ukrainian President Zelensky, and said that if such a meeting could be held, he was "cautiously optimistic" about the war ending before Christmas this year.

"Trump is giving Putin a lifetime achievement award"

According to reports, Trump hosted a grand welcome ceremony for Putin's visit. The U.S. specially set up a red carpet for Putin, and Trump himself personally welcomed Putin off the plane. After Putin arrived, the two shook hands warmly and greeted each other. After the welcome ceremony, both Trump and Putin got into the U.S. President's private car, which was considered unconventional diplomatic etiquette.

Except for the warm welcome ceremony, Trump also showed off his military power to Putin.

US B-2 bombers and F-35 fighters flying low overhead the two leaders

The meeting took place at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Alaska, where the U.S. had previously arranged multiple F-22 fighter jets stationed at the base, and after Putin's arrival, a B-2 bomber flew low with four F-35 fighters escorting it. The New York Times interpreted this as "adding a touch of cold reality to the otherwise glamorous meeting."

However, American Democrats collectively believe that Trump intentionally flattered Putin.

The official X account of the Democratic Party posted: "Trump invited Putin 'to American territory, just to let him show off.'"

California Democratic Representative Eric Swalwell described the summit as "Trump raising a glass to Putin as if giving him a lifetime achievement award," and added, "Our president is really a sycophant of the Kremlin."

Democrats criticize Trump for "flattering" Putin, screenshot of a tweet

"The fact that Putin can step onto American soil is itself a huge victory for him," said Virginia Democratic Representative Eugene Vindman at the start of the summit. "First, he is legitimized, no longer the so-called 'global outcast'; second, he faces arrest in 123 countries due to the International Criminal Court's arrest warrant, yet here he can walk freely."

Russian Media: Win Big

In fact, Vindman's interpretation of the meeting location aligns with that of Russian media.

Reuters noted that Russian media viewed the meeting as an "absolute victory." They believe that after Putin went to the U.S. mainland for the meeting, the era of Russia being excluded by the West seems to have ended.

Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova stated on the 15th: "Western media are in a near-complete state of madness: for three years they have been talking about the isolation of Russia, and today they see the U.S. laying out a red carpet for the Russian president."

Meanwhile, Russian official media focused on reporting the grand reception Putin received in Alaska.

RIA Novosti reported that Trump even personally invited Putin to ride in his private car.

"Red carpet, handshake, and videos and pictures appearing on all global media and TV stations," said Russia 24, this proves that Trump is "extremely friendly" to Putin, and mentioned that this was the first time Trump met a visiting leader at the airport.

Russian news agency TASS mentioned that U.S. F-22 bombers escorted Putin's plane back to Russia.

Video from the Kremlin shows U.S. F-22 bombers escorting Putin's plane

Before the meeting started, many Russian experts interpreted that choosing Alaska surprised many people, but it was undoubtedly the "ideal choice," and believed that "the summit itself was a breakthrough."

Andrei Kortunov, Director of the Russian Council on International Affairs, believes that Trump chose Alaska as a gesture of goodwill towards Russia. He said: "By inviting the Russian president to visit the U.S., Trump again emphasized that he does not consider Russia an isolated country in the international system. That is to say, any rulings by the International Criminal Court or other restrictive measures are insignificant to Trump."

Professor Wang Fan, Dean of the School of Diplomacy, told Observer Net that this "Putin-Trump meeting" helps in the final resolution of the Ukraine conflict, but does not mean the conflict has already been resolved. There are still many negotiation details to be confirmed. Ukraine needs collective security guarantees, and Russia will uphold its requirement of the NATO not expanding further east. How to implement specific arrangements may still be controversial. Regardless, a pause or even an end to the Ukraine conflict, which has lasted for more than three and a half years, would be a long-awaited scene for the international community.

This article is an exclusive contribution from Observer Net. Reproduction without permission is prohibited.

Original: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7539174614271836712/

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