Clinton to Trump: How Putin has met, courted and frustrated US presidents

As Russian President Vladimir Putin prepares for a acme successful Alaska with his United States counterpart Donald Trump, helium tin gully connected his experiences from 48 erstwhile meetings with American presidents.

Over 25 years arsenic Russia’s leader, Putin has met and worked with 5 US presidents: Bill Clinton, George W Bush, Barack Obama, Trump and Joe Biden.

While immoderate of the earlier meetings were comparatively warm, reflecting the hopes of US-Russia relationship betwixt the extremity of the Cold War and the aboriginal 2000s, astir of Putin’s much caller interactions — particularly with Obama and Biden — person been frostier, arsenic bilateral ties person worsened.

Here’s a recap of immoderate of the cardinal moments from those past meetings, and however jazz concerts and sportfishing trips gave mode to threats.

Bill Clinton shares a airy infinitesimal with Putin during a tree-planting ceremonial earlier the G8 gathering successful Nago, Okinawa, Japan, connected July 21, 2000 [Vincent Yu/AP Photo]

June 2000: Putin-Clinton

Less than 3 months aft helium formally became president of Russia, Putin hosted US President Clinton successful Moscow. The Russian person took Clinton connected a tour of the Kremlin, aft which a Russian jazz radical performed for them.

Clinton congratulated Putin connected Russia’s determination to ratify 2 arms power treaties. “President Yeltsin led Russia to freedom. Under President Putin, Russia has the accidental to physique prosperity and strength, portion safeguarding that state and the regularisation of law,” Clinton said, referring to Boris Yeltsin, Putin’s predecessor arsenic president.

Putin, connected his part, described the US arsenic “one of our main partners”. Moscow, helium said, would ne'er again question confrontation with Washington. “Never. We are for cooperation. We are for coming to statement connected problems that mightiness arise,” helium said.

But Clinton acknowledged their differences implicit Chechnya, wherever Russian forces had launched a large warfare the erstwhile year, aft a bid of flat blasts successful Russia killed much than 300 people. Moscow blamed Chechen separatists for the explosions.

The Moscow gathering was the archetypal of 4 betwixt Putin and Clinton successful 2000, the others connected the margins of multilateral events, earlier the US president near bureau successful January the pursuing year.

George W Bush and Putin during a toast astatine Bush ranch, Crawford, Texas, connected November 14, 2001 [AP Photo]

November 2001: Putin-Bush

After the September 11 attacks, Putin was the archetypal satellite person to telephone then-US President Bush and connection support. Two months later, Bush hosted Putin astatine his Crawford, Texas ranch, optimism astir ties dripping from his words.

“When I was successful precocious school, Russia was an enemy. Now the precocious schoolhouse students tin cognize Russia arsenic a friend; that we’re moving unneurotic to interruption the aged ties, to found a caller tone of practice and spot truthful that we tin enactment unneurotic to marque the satellite much peaceful,” Bush said. Bush drove Putin successful a pick-up motortruck to a waterfall connected the ranch.

But by the clip they met successful Russia successful November 2002, US-led efforts for NATO expansion had injected unease into the relationship.

Putin holding up a food helium caught successful Maine, portion visiting Bush and his household connected July 2, 2007 [AP Photo]

July 2007: Putin-Bush

By this point, the US penetration of Iraq successful 2003 had amplified tensions betwixt the 2 countries. But contempt differences, Bush continued to support a lukewarm idiosyncratic narration with Putin, whom helium hosted astatine his parents’ location successful Kennebunkport, Maine.

Both acknowledged areas wherever their views diverged, but they each credited the different with transparency.

Bush took Putin fishing. The Russian president was the lone 1 who caught a food connected that travel – it was acceptable free, Putin said.

Bush, left, and Putin, look connected during a quality league astatine the Russian leader’s residence successful Sochi, Russia, connected April 6, 2008 [Gerald Herbert/AP Photo]

April 2008: Putin-Bush

The last gathering betwixt Bush and Putin arsenic presidents took spot successful Sochi, Russia, and was focused connected US plans to grow a missile defence strategy successful Europe that Russia was opposing.

There was nary breakthrough – the 2 leaders agreed to disagree.

But their idiosyncratic rapport appeared intact. Bush met Putin 28 times successful total. He lone met British Prime Minister Tony Blair more.

Barack Obama meets with Putin successful Moscow connected July 7, 2009 [Haraz N Ghanbari/AP Photo]

July 2009: Putin-Obama

Putin was present premier minister, with state Dmitry Medvedev the Russian president.

US President Obama met Putin during a sojourn to Moscow. By now, differences had grown implicit Russia’s penetration of Georgia successful 2008, which the US had opposed.

“We whitethorn not extremity up agreeing connected everything, but I deliberation that we tin person a code of communal respect and consultation that volition service some the American radical and the Russian radical well,” Obama told Putin.

Obama meets with Putin successful Enniskillen, Northern Ireland, connected June 17, 2013 [Evan Vucci/ AP Photo]

June 2013: Putin-Obama

As Obama met Putin connected the margins of the G8 acme successful Northern Ireland — Russia had been added to the grouping successful 1998 and was expelled successful 2014 aft its annexation of Crimea — their vexation with each different was disposable successful an awkward photograph that made headlines.

The US and its allies wanted then-Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to discontinue amid the civilian warfare successful that country, but Russia was backing him.

“With respect to Syria, we bash person differing perspectives connected the problem, but we stock an involvement successful reducing the violence; securing chemic weapons and ensuring that they’re neither utilized nor are they taxable to proliferation,” Obama said.

Obama talks with Putin astatine the opening league of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum successful Lima, Peru, connected November 20, 2016 [Pablo Martinez Monsivais/AP Photo]

November 2016: Putin-Obama

By the clip Obama and Putin met for the ninth and last clip astatine the APEC Summit successful Peru, determination was nary pretence of bonhomie.

Russia had accused the US of engineering a coup against its state and erstwhile Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych successful 2014. The US and its allies had imposed sanctions against Russia implicit its annexation of Crimea.

Putin and Obama spoke for hardly 4 minutes connected the sidelines of the summit, with the US president asking his Russian counterpart to instrumentality to his commitments nether the Minsk agreements that were meant to bring bid to Ukraine.

Putin, right, and Trump springiness a associated quality league astatine the Presidential Palace successful Helsinki, Finland, connected July 16, 2018 [Pablo Martinez Monsivais/AP Photo]

July 2018: Putin-Trump

A twelvemonth and a fractional into his archetypal presidency, Trump’s triumph successful the 2016 US statesmanlike predetermination was inactive clouded by accusations that Russia had interfered successful the predetermination connected his behalf erstwhile helium met Putin successful Helsinki.

The 2 met alone, with lone interpreters. In a media enactment aft that, Putin tried to recast the narration successful optimistic hues. “The Cold War is simply a happening of past,” helium said, earlier listing a bid of modern challenges facing the satellite — from an biology situation to terrorism. “We tin lone header with these challenges if we articulation the ranks and enactment together. Hopefully, we volition scope this knowing with our American partners.”

But it was Trump who made headlines. After helium acknowledged that helium had discussed the allegations of predetermination interference with Putin, Trump was asked whether helium believed US quality agencies that had concluded that Moscow had intervened successful the vote.

“I person large assurance successful my quality people, but I volition archer you that President Putin was highly beardown and almighty successful his denial today,” Trump said. “He conscionable said it’s not Russia. I volition accidental this: I don’t spot immoderate crushed wherefore it would be.”

Trump met Putin six times successful each successful his archetypal term.

Putin, left, and Joe Biden shingle hands successful Geneva, Switzerland, connected June 16, 2021 [Alexander Zemlianichenko/AP Photo]

June 2021: Putin-Biden

US President Joe Biden flew to Geneva for his lone face-to-face gathering with Putin.

After years of dependable deterioration, relations had reached their nadir aft Biden had described Putin arsenic a slayer successful March, prompting Russia to retreat its ambassador from Washington. The US had followed.

The Geneva gathering helped reset ties – a bit. Both countries agreed to reappoint ambassadors.

But Biden was besides blunt with Putin astir US concerns implicit Russian predetermination interference and cyberattacks, and said helium had, successful effect, threatened Moscow that Washington could motorboat tit-for-tat cyberstrikes.

Russia by past was gathering up its unit beingness on the borderline with Ukraine, a cardinal root of accent successful ties with the US that came up during the Putin-Biden meeting.

Eight months later, Russia would motorboat a afloat fledged penetration of Ukraine, marking the commencement of Europe’s largest warfare since World War II — a warfare Trump says helium wants to extremity done the acme successful Alaska connected August 15.