On July 16, President Donald Trump will meet his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in Helsinki, Finland. While the two have met on the sidelines of other international meetings in the past, this will be the first time that the two leaders engage in substantial talks. While there is nothing wrong with heads-of-state meetings, President Trump should go into this summit with his eyes wide open. Since coming to power in 1999, Putin has never shown that he can be a trusted partner of the United States.
The unprecedented pace, scope, and ambition of U.N. peacekeeping operations have led to numerous serious flaws, limitations, and weaknesses that need to be addressed. Peacekeeping assessmentsshould be revised to spread the financial burden more equitablyamong U.N. member states. Without fundamental reform, theseproblems will likely continue and expand, undermining the U.N.'scredibility and ability to maintain international peace andsecurity.
In early June, during the most recent meeting of the Group of Seven countries, commonly referred to as the G7, President Trump proposed that Russia be able to rejoin the group. Russia was once part of what was then known as the G8, but was kicked out after its invasion of Ukraine in 2014. The U.S. should not support the idea of Russia rejoining the bloc until certain conditions regarding Russia’s nefarious behavior are met.