The In Person Meeting Between Putin and Trump in Abu Dhabi Didn’t Happen

Well, John Helmer’s report of an in person meeting between Trump and Putin in Abu Dhabi on May 15th or 16th did not pan out.

I don’t know if Helmer’s sources were faulty or if it was really believed that this might happen but circumstances changed in such a way as to nix the meeting. Trump had mentioned the possibility recently of meeting Putin and then said he wasn’t going to right now. It’s possible this was a result of Trump’s impulsivity.

Interestingly, my former editor at RT told me, without elaboration, that Helmer was not a credible person and made me remove him as a source on a proposed piece I wrote back in 2021. Other people knowledgeable about Russia have said they think he is a credible journalist.

I know that he has managed to tick off both western establishment types and some in the Russian government. I typically think it bodes well for a journalist if they piss off everyone.

In any event, this purported meeting did not happen and we’re left to speculate.

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Published on May 18, 2025 17:12
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