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Russian President Vladimir Putin talks with US President Donald J. Trump during a bilateral meeting at the G20 summit of state and government leaders in Hamburg, Germany on July 7. 2017. EFE/MICHAEL KLIMENTYEV
Russian President Vladimir Putin talks with US President Donald J. Trump during a bilateral meeting at the G20 summit of state and government leaders in Hamburg, Germany on July 7. 2017. EFE/MICHAEL KLIMENTYEV

Trump: “Mislead and Rule”

The inability of the President of the United States to maintain a coherent stance on the issue with Russia can be interpreted in two ways: political inability…

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While explaining how a country could interfere in the presidential elections of another is complicated enough, trying to give light to the statements of President Trump after his first official meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin is mission impossible.

After the leaders of both countries met for more than two hours on Friday, on the eve of the G20 summit in Hamburg, the US president resorted once more to his account on Twitter leaving many jaws to drop: Moscow and Washington could form an "impenetrable" unit of cyber security to "avoid" computer hacking and "other negative things."

Immediately both Republicans and Democrats came forward with serious questions about what it would mean to allow Russia access to US data and security networks.

Ash Carter, who served as US defense secretary until the end of Barack Obama's term, told CNN, “this is like the guy who robbed your house proposing a working group on burglary."

Also, Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina told NBC that "this is not the dumbest idea I've ever heard, but it's pretty close."

The cynicism of such a suggestion is obvious: investigations conducted by the FBI before, during and after the 2016 presidential campaign have shown that Russian intelligence interfered in US elections through hacking.

Currently, and following the dismissal of the FBI director by the new administration, a special agent has been assigned to the investigation. Robert Mueller is currently in charge of determining to what extent the intrusion of Moscow took place and who would have been responsible for it, especially those close to the Trump campaign. Also, following the statements of important officials before the Senate Intelligence Committee, Mueller would also be investigating the possibility of the obstruction of justice by the president himself.

Given this scenario, a statement such as the one made by the American president in social networks can only make things worst.

Unsurprisingly, administration officials automatically jumped in to control, once again, the collateral damage of the President’s Twitter account.

Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin said Saturday that Putin would have agreed to create "a cyber security unit to ensure there was no interference in the election, and that it would be a joint effort."

But the president himself withdrew what he said on Sunday, explaining in a new 140-character message that "the fact that President Putin and I were discussing cyber security does not mean that I think it can happen. It can’t".

A smokescreen

As if no one understood politics, President Trump said that he had "put a lot of pressure" on President Putin "twice" about Russia's meddling in US elections, claiming that the Russian president "vehemently denied it."

In the face of the alarm raised by this type of statements in the president’s social networks, his way of repairing the damages was to turn the look towards the pacts realized with Russia towards a cease-fire in Syria.

"We have negotiated a cease-fire in parts of Syria that will save lives. This is the time to move forward in constructive work with Russia! "

The cease-fire took effect only hours later on Sunday, Reuters reported, but President Trump's stance toward Russia remains a diplomatic mystery.

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