No one can explain what Trump’s Russia summit means, not even the U.S. government

President Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin shake hands at the beginning of a meeting in Helsinki on July 16, 2018. (Pablo Martinez Monsivais/AP)

By Missy Ryan and Carol MorelloJuly 17 at 6:05 PMEmail the author

Trump administration officials were unable to immediately clarify on Tuesday what President Trump’s Helsinki summit will yield for foreign and military policy, underscoring the confusion caused by the president’s improvisational style and embrace of Russian President Vladi­mir Putin.

The day after Trump huddled with Putin in an extended one-on-one meeting, the Pentagon, State Department and other agencies struggled to publicly reconcile Trump’s friendly treatment of the Russian president with government-wide policies identifying Russia as a chief threat to U.S. security.

Further complicating efforts to digest the summit was a statement from the Russian Defense Ministry on Tuesday that said Moscow was ready to implement “agreements on international security” reached by the leaders

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