Germany’s Foreign Minister Heiko Maas has predicted that the next months would show how resilient the summit between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin was for international politics, which needs dialog as well as reliability, consistency and hard work even after "things have moved off the starting block.”
The politician, who represents the Social Democrats in Angela Merkel’s coalition government, addressed the matter in an interview with Editorial Network Germany (RND).
"It's important that the US and Russia talk to each other. We can’t allow silence to be in place between Washington and Moscow on Syria, Ukraine, arms control and disarmament."
He also pointed out that the following few months would show “how resilient the Helsinki summit” was for international relations.
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According to the diplomat, first and foremost, Germany is interested in constructive cooperation between the US and Russia with respect to nuclear arms control, so that the involved parties respect existing treaties.
"It now needs practical steps as soon as possible, so that it is not just a mere commitment to cooperation," Maas told the German media.
Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin sat for their first one-to-one meeting in Helsinki, Finland on July 16. They discussed a wide range of questions starting from alleged Russian meddling in the 2016 US Presidential elections to cooperation in Syria, as well as gas supplies to Europe and the Nord Stream 2 project.
At the joint press conference, following the talks, both Putin and Trump labeled the talks as highly "successful," "productive" and essential for improving the ties between the countries.