Trump has offended Russia by hanging out with Theresa May and Justin Trudeau but not Vladimir Putin


Vladimir Putin is feeling excluded. The Russian president is reportedly offended that all he has gotten from President Trump so far is a handful of phone calls, while Trump has hung out with other world leaders, including Chinese President Xi Jinping, U.K. Prime Minister Theresa May, and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
"[The Russian leaders] feel slighted," explained foreign policy analyst Vladimir Frolov to The New York Times. Foreign affairs expert Aleksei Pushkov said: "Trump rejected the idea of holding a separate meeting [with Putin] early due to fear of hysteria by his enemies in the U.S.A."
Leaders in Moscow had believed Trump's election would lead to friendlier relations between the Kremlin and the White House, although the Trump administration has done little to prove that to be true. As recently as this weekend, Trump's national security adviser, Lt. Gen. H.R. McMaster, publicly scolded Putin on Fox News, saying, "We need changes in words and the nature of the relationship, but what we really need to see is a change in behavior."
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
"The Russians are basically scratching their heads and asking, 'What are we going to get from this?'" Pushkov said.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.
-
House posts lewd Epstein note attributed to Trump
Speed Read The estate of Jeffrey Epstein turned over the infamous 2003 birthday note from President Donald Trump
-
Supreme Court allows 'roving' race-tied ICE raids
Speed Read The court paused a federal judge's order barring agents from detaining suspected undocumented immigrants in LA based on race
-
South Korea to fetch workers detained in Georgia raid
Speed Read More than 300 South Korean workers detained in an immigration raid at a Hyundai plant will be released
-
DC sues Trump to end Guard 'occupation'
Speed Read D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb argues that the unsolicited military presence violates the law
-
RFK Jr. faces bipartisan heat in Senate hearing
Speed Read The health secretary defended his leadership amid CDC turmoil and deflected questions about the restricted availability of vaccines
-
White House defends boat strike as legal doubts mount
Speed Read Experts say there was no legal justification for killing 11 alleged drug-traffickers
-
Epstein accusers urge full file release, hint at own list
speed read A rally was organized by Reps. Ro Khanna and Thomas Massie, who are hoping to force a vote on their Epstein Files Transparency Act
-
Court hands Harvard a win in Trump funding battle
Speed Read The Trump administration was ordered to restore Harvard's $2 billion in research grants