Clouds over Hamburg

07.07.2017

July 7-8 in Hamburg will host the G20 summit. This event is one of the most important foreign policy events of the year, where the heads of 19 leading countries of the world and the European Union meet, which account for 2/3 of the world population and about 80% of world GDP.

The present summit promises to become the most difficult and controversial in the history of such meetings. In addition, during the talks a separate meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump is planned.

Agenda and concerns

In the official agenda of the G20 summit is the fight against terrorism, the development of the global economy, the problems of ecology. The hostess of the summit, Angela Merkel, stated that it would be difficult to begin discussion of these topics because of disagreements, first of all, with the United States, and as a result, the final communiqué might not even be accepted - there are so many disagreements.

The European leaders are concerned about Trump's slogan "America first", the economic egoism of the United States and the prospect of trade wars between the US and the EU. The same problem worries another "world champion in exports" - China. Well, thoughtful American forum participants are probably worried about what will happen if the US opposes itself to everyone, because then they will be in isolation.

The provocation before Trump's meeting with Putin

His second visit to Europe, Trump began with a visit to Warsaw, than challenged Russia and Germany, two key participants of the summit.

In Warsaw, the US president announced to Russia and Germany, actively cooperating in the energy sphere, a gas war to force Europeans to switch to more expensive and less quality American liquefied gas. Thus, the US will undermine the competitiveness of the European economy, and financially weaken Russia, reducing its geopolitical significance.

Having declared in Warsaw an energy war, Trump actually devalued in advance the agreements that could be reached in Hamburg during his first meeting with Vladimir Putin.

Related links
G20 Summit: For the first time the West couldn't dictate, but had to listen
G-20
Talks
geopolitics
Donald Trump
Vladimir Putin
anti-Russian sanctions
European crisis