Trump and Putin’s RSVP’s: Yes, for sure, if, if if. …
WASHINGTON — Rarely has an RSVP been so complicated.
President Donald Trump is open to visiting Moscow — if he gets a formal invitation from Vladimir Putin, the White House said Friday. Russian President Putin said he’s game for a trip to Washington — but his answer came only after Trump retracted his invitation for a fall sit-down.
The awkward back and forth is the latest round of summit drama flowing from the two leaders’ controversial first meeting in Helsinki this month. It underscores Trump’s eagerness to forge a warmer relationship with Putin, though the Russian does not appear to share the urgency and Trump’s allies in Washington are watching with frustration.
Trump’s tentative yes to a Moscow trip comes even as lawmakers are still pushing for details about what he and Putin discussed in Helsinki. The president has been widely criticized for failing to publicly denounce Russia’s interference in the 2016 U.S. election and appearing to accept Putin’s denials of such activity.