Opinion | G20: all eyes on Trump and Iran, but Putin’s date with Xi and Modi is one to watch

Russian President Vladimir Putin has a busy time ahead of him at the G20 summit in Osaka.

If Russia is to follow its standard playbook, it is likely to keep largely silent on global economic issues (though it may have something to say on free and fair international trade). Instead, its main aim will be to reinforce its geopolitical stature in today’s world in general and Asia in particular.

First of all, Putin will meet US President Donald Trump. The chance to maintain dialogue between the two leaders is important as they have not talked face to face at length since last July and the conditions for a full-fledged Russia-US summit are still some way off. Ties between the countries have not benefited from Trump’s spontaneous and impulsive approach to foreign policy, which appears to have no clearly articulated goals or principles and changes frequently depending on short-term developments in domestic politics. Slowly but surely, along with the US-China rivalry, the US-Russia rivalry is emerging as a long-term threat to global political stability.

In Osaka, among the most important issues Putin and Trump are expected to discuss are: Iran, Syria, the Middle East, arms control, the Korean peninsula, Ukraine, and bilateral relations.