“You have to think his advisers don’t have much confidence in his ability to stand firm.”Senior officials in the Russian delegation to Buenos Aires appeared taken aback by the snub. “The less interaction with Putin this president has, the better.”The cancellation marks the second snub by Trump in less than a month after he decided against meeting Putin in Paris, where they were both attending World War One commemorations. It sets back Russian hopes for rebuilding ties that have worsened despite Trump’s pledges to improve them. While the benefits of a meeting for Trump were never especially clear, the Russian side had far more to gain. The Kremlin regrets Trump’s decision but is ready to maintain contacts with his administration, Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov said by text message.

Source: National Post November 30, 2018 16:08 UTC