The following article by Anton Troianovski and Philip Rucker was posted on the Washington Post website July 15, 2018:
President Trump landed in Helsinki on July 15 ahead of a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin. (Reuters)
HELSINKI — He allegedly helped him get elected. He has charmed him and egged him on. And on Monday, when Russian President Vladimir Putin meets President Trump face to face here in Finland’s capital, he will see what he gets out of it.
Coming into Monday’s one-on-one summit, Trump faces intense pressure back home to confront Putin over Russia’s interference in the 2016 presidential election, especially in the wake of Friday’s indictment of 12 Russian intelligence officers for hacking and releasing Democratic Party emails.
In Washington and throughout the West, leaders are also pressing Trump to hold firm in countering Putin’s intervention in Syria and Ukraine by refusing to recognize Russia’s annexation of Crimea.