POLITICAL WRAP: President Biden to Meet with Russian President Putin

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Wednesday, President Biden will wrap up his first international trip as president, with a highly anticipated meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Sunday, Biden said he agrees with Putin that relations between the U.S. and Russia are at a “low point.”

Trump’s Crucial Meetings with NATO and Putin

CHARLOTTE, NC — While in the U.S. a judge orders the Trump administration to speed up the unification of parents and children separated at the border, and both political parties gear up for a contentious fight over a Supreme Court nominee, the president heads overseas. But it won’t be a vacation; instead he will have crucial meetings with allies and Russia. This is against a backdrop of Trump’s sharp critiques of allies and warm words for Putin.

A Full Agenda for Trump’s Trip Overseas

CHARLOTTE, NC — President Trump leaves a Tweet-storm in the U.S., but his overseas trip could be complicated. North Korea’s launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile has many countries pondering the next move.

In Hamburg, Trump is set to meet with Russian president Vladimir Putin at the G20 Summit. Will he mention Russia’s support of Assad in Syria, who has used chemical weapons? What about Russia’s annexing of Crimea and tensions with Ukraine?

Trump will also meet with German chancellor Angela Merkel, who has questioned his pulling the U.S. out of the Paris climate change accord. What is the next step in that relationship?

WCCB’s political contributor, Mary C. Curtis, weighs in.

President’s Trump’s Foreign Trip Amid Terror in UK, Russian Probe

President Trump met with Pope Francis at the Vatican on Wednesday. While it is unclear what the two specifically spoke about during their 30 minute chat, the Vatican, in a statement, said the two discussed promoting world peace and protecting Christians in the Middle East.

While on his first foreign tour in office, President Trump is also confronting the worst terror attack carried out in Britain in 12 years. A memorial is growing to remember the 22 people killed and dozens injured during Monday night’s attack at an Ariana Grande concert in Manchester, England.  Trump condemned the tragedy, calling those behind the attack “evil losers.”

Back home, the Trump Administration is also dealing with new developments in the investigation into Russia’s interference in the 2016 election.

WCCB’s Political Contributor Mary C. Curtis weighs in on the issues overseas, and back home in the U.S.

Rex Tillerson’s Plan to Skip NATO, Visit Russia Puts Allies on Edge

WASHINGTON (CNN) — The State Department scrambled Tuesday to suggest new dates for Secretary of State Rex Tillerson to attend a meeting of NATO foreign ministers after his plan to skip the annual gathering, but travel to Russia came to light. Tillerson’s decision to miss his first NATO meeting but visit Russia a week later plunged his department into damage control, frustrated allies and left analysts scratching their heads at an administration that once again is rubbing Europe the wrong way and raising questions about its commitment to its Western allies. WCCB’s Political Contributor Mary Curtis weighs in.