Financial Times reports that Trump is going into the meeting with Putin completely unprepared.
Preparations for major summits would typically be handled by the NSC, but a senior US official familiar with the matter says: "
My understanding is that the traditional Washington foreign policy process led by the NSC has largely broken down." The deputy SECSTATE for European affairs has not yet been approved by the Senate, and the US also does not currently have ambassadors in Russia and Ukraine. In addition, 1300+ career officials were let go at the State Department in May as part of a drive to slash the federal workforce. Top-level negotiations with Putin have been conducted by real estate developer Steve Witkoff, a foreign policy neophyte, who - following his recent visits to Moscow - began publicly parroting Russian propaganda points.
The American Foreign Service Association (AFSA), the union which represents US diplomats, estimates some 25 per cent of foreign service officers have left their jobs since January. Among those who remain, morale is "
as low as it possibly could be" - says Eric Rubin, former president of AFSA and career diplomat who served as US ambassador to Bulgaria during Trump's first term.
"
It’s safe to say that Trump does not have a single policymaking person who knows Russia and Ukraine advising him." - adds Rubin.
Trump's previous face-to-face meeting with Putin culminated in a joint press conference during which Trump lavished praise on the Russian dictator and berated US intelligence services. Trump's top Russia adviser, Fiona Hill, later said she had contemplated faking a seizure in an attempt to shut the whole thing down.
Source
cis.org
