The Henry Jackson Society today commented after the summit held in Helsinki between President Donald Trump and President Vladimir Putin.
Dr Alan Mendoza, Executive Director of the Henry Jackson Society, said:
“President Trump’s meeting with Vladimir Putin in Helsinki today should be welcomed as broadly positive. It is important that dialogue with Moscow continues, and that President Trump has made tackling nuclear proliferation a key aim of these talks.
“However, this dialogue must also be robust. At every opportunity, the elected leaders of the West should continue to call out Russia’s interference in our democracies, and we must refuse to accept any normalisation of the current situation in Ukraine. Putin’s denials of hacking in the US election in the face of overwhelming evidence do not stand up, and it is disappointing that President Trump is willing to give someone he has described as a ‘competitor’ a clean bill of health.
“In Brussels last week, President Trump made a clear signal of commitment to NATO and to collective security. The Western allies must continue to act together in defence of our values in the face of a Russia determined to test our resolve.”