The first official dialogue between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin

The first official dialogue between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin 

President Donald Trump’s encounter with Russian President Vladimir Putin could be the catalyst for major diplomatic progress over Syria. 

The first official dialogue between the two global leaders will take place in Helsinki’s presidential palace on Monday, marking a symbolic end to the Western effort to isolate Russia after its 2014 annexation of Crimea.

Ahead of the summit, neither side has sought to ramp up expectations of the meeting. And most external observers expect Trump and Putin to simply exchange warm words with one another, before potentially agreeing to a tentative deal to start talks on issues such as nuclear arms control and Syria.