More from the article ...
... Call it the old pals act.
From the moment Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin disembarked from their planes at a Cold War-era air force base outside Anchorage, Alaska, their public interactions were notably friendly -- with the U.S. president applauding the Russian ruler, an exchange of smiles, a pat on the shoulder, an animated but clearly friendly conversation on the red carpet.
And then, after an American military flyover, the stunning protocol-buster of Putin climbing into "the Beast" -- the U.S. president's official car -- to share a limousine ride to the critical summit.
The Russian leader seemed delighted. As well he might. ...
Putin still appears to have got the most out of the encounter.
He secured the meeting, notwithstanding being a wanted man for war crimes, and was greeted on American soil as a friend, not the leader of a pariah state that invaded a sovereign neighbor.
And he got all this without agreeing any major concessions, including a ceasefire, beforehand -- and left Anchorage without having committed to a truce either, despite Trump saying during their joint press conference that his Russian counterpart is keen to save thousands of lives. Apparently not that keen. ...
