The scenario for the first encounter between Trump and Putin.

Putin may employ charm tactics when meeting with Trump, but Trump's unpredictability could make the dialogue less than smooth.

US President-elect Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin. Photo: NYbooks

At some point this year, newly elected U.S. President Donald Trump will meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin. It will be a confrontation between a prominent businessman who has forged his own art of negotiation and a former Soviet State Security Committee (KGB) officer accused of helping Trump win the U.S. election by directing cyberattacks and stealing emails from Democratic leaders, according to the Washington Post.

Trump and Putin have more or less forged a connection. But these two leaders view world issues through the lens of their own interests and have never met in person.

It will be a historic meeting for Trump, and the Russian president will use every skill to persuade his American counterpart, European leaders say, drawing from their own experiences.

"He can change his demeanor in a split second," Vaira Vike-Freiberga, former president of Latvia, recalled her first meeting with President Putin in 2001. "At times he might stare intensely as if trying to intimidate you," she said, "but then immediately afterwards, he looks at you with a friendly, warm gaze, as if ready to be friends forever."

"He's really good at confusing his opponents," Vike-Freiberga remarked.

Putin has at times made world leaders wait for him for hours; for example, Queen Elizabeth II of England once waited 14 minutes, the Pope waited 50 minutes, and former Ukrainian president Viktor Yanukovych had to wait for 4 hours.

In 2007, he brought his pet dog, Koni, to a meeting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who was afraid of dogs, in Sochi, Russia. He even made Merkel wait for 4 hours and 15 minutes.

Therefore, many things could not go smoothly in the first meeting between Trump and Putin. And a bad first impression could escalate into a storm of anger in Trump's early morning tweets, once again shattering any dream of easing tensions between the two countries. Some Russian officials have voiced concerns about Trump's unpredictability.

President Vladimir Putin brought his pet dog Koni to a meeting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel in Sochi, Russia in 2007. Photo: AFP

Tactics

However, Putin is also known for his ability to forge friendly relations with world leaders. Journalist Mikhail Zygarm, author of the bestselling book "All the Men of the Kremlin," wrote about Putin and Trump that "these two skeptical men always manage to find common ground."

Vike-Freiberga suggested that Putin's tactic in his first meeting with Trump would be "flattery, flattery, and more flattery." "This tactic works with most people. And in this particular case, I think it could work like a magic spell, I'm afraid to say," she said.

In the past, Putin got along well with leaders like Silvio Berlusconi, the former Italian president, who shared many similarities with Trump. Berlusconi was known for his populist ideology and boisterous personality, as well as his frequent involvement in scandals.

Putin also once "charmed" a US president. In her 2011 memoir, former US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice recalled how Putin shared with President George W. Bush "a sweet story" about a cross his mother had given him when the two met at a high-level meeting in Slovenia in 2001.

Putin's tactics paid off when Bush told reporters later that day, "I looked him in the eye. I saw that he was very honest and trustworthy. I could understand his innermost thoughts." Bush's statement left Rice speechless.

On January 9, a Kremlin spokesperson said any meeting between the two leaders would only be planned after Trump's inauguration. They are expected to attend the G20 summit in Hamburg, Germany, in July.

Vike-Freiberga argues that Putin always thoroughly studies the leaders he will meet. He is very good at reading body language and knows how to manipulate other people's emotions.

"I myself have a good grasp of what incites people. But for me, Putin is a master at it," Vike-Freiberga said.

She recalled that on one occasion, Putin tried to invite French President Jacques Chirac to a birthday dinner in Latvia, coinciding with the closing of the 2006 North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) summit in Riga.

Putin's actions are seen as an attempt to divide NATO internally, as President Bush is urging the alliance to increase support for countries like Ukraine and Georgia, which are seeking to break free from Russia's sphere of influence.

Vike-Freiberga, as the host country's president, immediately demonstrated his shrewdness by proposing a bilateral meeting with Putin, the first in Riga since Latvia declared independence. The Kremlin rejected the offer, and Putin canceled his visit to Riga, resulting in the cancellation of the birthday celebration.

Trump's praise of Putin during the election campaign led many to predict the two would get along. However, in a recent press conference, Trump did not confirm this. "I don't know if I get along with Putin. I hope so. But it's also possible that it won't," he said.

According to VNE