Russian president Vladimir Putin must have watched his US counterpart Donald Trump’s destructive progress through Brussels and London last week with his trademark mirthless smirk. Mr Trump’s undermining of America’s ties with its European partners plays straight into Mr Putin’s hands. On Monday, the two men come face-to-face in Helsinki for a meeting Mr Trump has suggested may be the “easiest” of his European tour, but which is the most important US-Russian summit in years. If the US president treats Mr Putin like an old friend after spending a week scorning longtime allies, he could do grave damage to international security.
上週，俄羅斯總統弗拉迪米爾•普丁(Vladimir Putin)肯定帶著他標誌性的似笑非笑看到了美國總統唐納•川普(Donald Trump)在布魯塞爾和倫敦實施的破壞性進展。川普對美國與其歐洲夥伴關係的破壞正中普丁下懷。週一，二人將在赫爾辛基面對面會晤，川普認爲此次會晤可能是他歐洲之行「最輕鬆」的一次會晤，但這也是美俄近年來最重要的峯會。如果這位美國總統在用了一週時間嘲弄長期盟友後像對待老朋友一樣對待普丁，那麼他可能會對國際安全造成嚴重損害。