Donald Trump wants summit with Russia’s Putin in Reykjavik

The Icelandic capital Reykjavik is in pole position to host the superpower talks as it did three decades ago.

A Donald Trump adviser confirmed that the new president intended to meet Mr Putin at a venue outside the US and Russia “very soon”.

Donald Trump is planning to hold a summit with Vladimir Putin within weeks of becoming US president — emulat­ing Ronald Reagan’s Cold War dealmaking in Reykjavik with Mikhail Gorbachev.

Mr Trump and his team have told British officials their first ­foreign trip will be a meeting with the Russian President, with the Icelandic capital in pole position to host the superpower talks, as it did three decades ago.

To reset Western relations with the Kremlin, Mr Trump will begin work on a deal limiting nuclear weapons.

Sources who have discussed the plans with officials at the ­Russian embassy in London say Moscow is set to agree to a summit between the two leaders.

Mr Trump said over the weekend that he would consider dropping sanctions against Russia if the Kremlin proved helpful in fighting terrorism and reaching other goals important to the US, although the sanctions would remain in place “at least for a period of time”.

He added that he was willing to meet Mr Putin.

“I understand that they (the Russians) would like to meet, and that’s absolutely fine with me,” Mr Trump told The Wall Street ­Journal in an interview published over the weekend.

A source who has discussed the plan with Mr Trump and with ­officials at the Russian embassy in London said: “The idea of a ­summit with Putin is definitely on the cards. The Russians are also keen on it.”

A Trump adviser confirmed that the incoming president intend­ed to meet Mr Putin at a venue outside the US and Russia “very soon” and that Reykjavik was under “active consideration”.

The Icelandic capital was the site of a 1986 summit between Reagan and Mr Gorbachev, the Soviet leader. Those talks broke down, but ultimately led to a 1987 nuclear accord.

The Trump adviser said such a meeting would play to the Russian President’s longing to be seen as a major player on the world stage. “What does Putin want?” the adviser­ said.

“Prestige — centre stage at the summit, the one-on-one meeting, the hand on the back from Trump. That gives the US tremendous leverage. Mr Trump is master of the photo op and he will use that skill.”

The prospect of a Trump-Putin “love-in” is causing concern after the furore last week over claims that Russia holds material that gives it leverage over Mr Trump.

A US intelligence source said the CIA and other agencies saw Mr Trump as a “hostile actor” who was “very possibly compromised by Russia”. A British intelligence source with extensive trans­atlantic experience said US spies had labelled Mr Trump and his ­advisers’ links to the Kremlin “problematic”.

“Until we have established whether Trump and senior members­ of his team can be trusted, we’re going to hold back,” the source said.

“Putting it bluntly, we can’t risk betraying sources and methods to the Russians.”

The fears come as Beijing warned the US that the “One China” policy was non-negotiable, after Mr Trump suggested he could abandon the decades-old diplomatic principle and boost ties with Taiwan.

“It is not up for negotiation,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang said.

“There is only one China in the world, Taiwan is an inalienable regio­n of China, and the government of the People’s Republic of China is the only legitimate government representing China.”

Mr Trump threatened to get tough with what he sees as unfair Chinese trade practices, and suggested that the “One China” policy could become a bargaining chip.

“Everything is under negotiation, including One China,” he told the Journal.

Mr Trump has already irked China by accepting a congratu­l­atory phone call from Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-Wen after he won the US election, upending decades of diplomatic precedent in which the White House has foregone direct communication with the leader of Taiwan.

Beijing considers the island to be a breakaway province to be brought back within its fold, by force if necessary.

“We urge the relevant party in the United States to realise the extreme­ sensitivity of the Taiwan issue and to respect commitments made by previous American ­governments (and) avoid undermining the healthy and stable developm­ent of bilateral relations,” Mr Lu added.

Beijing first warned Mr Trump on the issue last month, after he said he did not see why Wash­ington must “be bound by a One China policy unless we make a deal with China having to do with other things, including trade”.

The Asian giant said it could back “forces hostile to the US” if Mr Trump followed through with his threats.

Mr Trump also defended his controversial call with Ms Tsai in his interview with the Journal.

“We sold them $US2 billion of military equipment last year. We can sell them $US2bn of the latest and greatest military equipment but we’re not allowed to accept a phone call?” he said.

The Sunday Times, AFP