Igor Eidman: "An unprecedented betrayal"

“Trumpists write that this is just a standard situation: American presidents did not disdain to meet with Soviet dictators, why shouldn’t Trump and Putin meet. This is not so. The situation is unprecedented,” the sociologist writes on Facebook .

"US leaders met with communist bosses under completely different circumstances. It was a forced military alliance against a terrible enemy (Stalin - Roosevelt), de-Stalinization in the USSR (Khrushchev - Eisenhower, Kennedy), détente and the Helsinki process (Brezhnev - Nixon, Ford, Carter) , perestroika (Gorbachev - Reagan, Bush).

Thus, after World War II, American leaders met with Soviet general secretaries only when they moved away from Stalin’s rigid course and focused on peaceful coexistence. It is impossible to imagine that Reagan would have met with Brezhnev after the invasion of Afghanistan. Now it's the other way around. Trump is not embarrassed by the annexation of Crimea and the blood-drenched Donbass.

Putin is waging several aggressive wars at once: in Ukraine, Syria, a hybrid war against the West. He was practically officially declared an international terrorist (after the verdict in the Litvinenko case, the downing of the Boeing, the poisoning of the Skripals, etc.). During his reign, he proved that he does not comply with any agreements and lies like he breathes.

In this situation, holding a completely friendly meeting with Putin (and this is what it will be, judging by the statements of White House representatives) means encouraging him to continue aggression and other crimes. This is a blow to peace and security on earth; a betrayal not only of Ukraine, but also of the interests of the United States itself."