US President Donald Trump’s actions have become a common issue for Moscow and Berlin, and in this context, German officials attempt to improve relations with Russia, German TV channel n-tv stated in an article published on its website on Saturday in the run-up to of the negotiations between Russian President Vladimir Putin and German Chancellor Angela Merkel.
"Putin and Merkel have started to have more things in common, namely, the issue with the current US President," the TV channel’s columnist wrote, adding that Moscow and Berlin are both interested in the realization of the Nord Stream 2 project. According to the TV channel, there is no talk of a partnership yet, "however, the German government is clearly trying to improve relations," the article notes. The author reminded that in the four years after Crimea had become part of Russia, Putin and Merkel have only held negotiations twice, and "now they meet for the second time in three months."
"For President Putin, the visit to Germany must seem like a home run, the framework conditions cannot be better from his viewpoint," the columnist stated. "The Western alliance in the form of NATO is losing its daunting significance; US President Donald Trump lets himself doubt his loyalty to it." According to the author, the West "cannot achieve much in the world" without the US. At the same time, the columnist suggested that the US "is destroying itself".
"The President [Trump] does not trust his own secret service employees, experts and diplomats have no sway over him," the article points out.
"On the contrary, this Saturday evening, when Putin is at Meseberg in Brandenburg, he can be confident of his global importance," the columnist said, reminding that on Friday, a Merkel’s representative stated that "Russia is an international player, without which it is impossible to resolve international issues."
On Saturday, August 18, Merkel will hold a working meeting with Putin. As Germany’s Cabinet of Ministers said earlier, the two sides would discuss Ukraine, Syria and economic cooperation between the countries, namely in the sphere of energy.