Trump's Russia Summit: A Lack of Expertise and Looming Consequences

As US President Donald Trump prepares to meet with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in Alaska, concern is growing among experts over the lack of experience and expertise within the administration dealing with Russia and Ukraine. The National Security Council (NSC), which is typically responsible for coordinating input from across government agencies, has been drastically pared back, with dozens of foreign policy and national security experts ousted from their jobs in May. Among those who remain, morale is "as low as it possibly could be", according to Eric Rubin, a former career diplomat who served as US ambassador to Bulgaria during Trump's first term.

Key Takeaways:

• The NSC has been drastically pared back, with dozens of foreign policy and national security experts ousted from their jobs in May, leaving a significant void in expertise dealing with Russia and Ukraine.
• The US diplomatic corps, the foreign service, has also lost a significant portion of its workforce in Trump's second term through cuts, buyouts, and resignations, with some 25 per cent of foreign service officers estimated to have left their jobs since January.
• Top jobs in the administration dealing with Russia and Ukraine remained unfilled, including the Senate-confirmed assistant secretary of state for European affairs and ambassador in Russia and Ukraine.
• President Trump has prioritized loyalty over experience from his senior aides, leading to a lack of expertise and caution in his approach to dealing with Russia.
• Career experts, such as Eric Green, who served as senior director for Russia at the National Security Council during Joe Biden's presidency, have expressed concerns over the President's approach, stating that "you want to avoid getting entrapped by his skill at debating those points and avoid agreeing to something that may sound reasonable the way it's presented by Putin but in fact is distorted."
• Steve Witkoff, a foreign policy neophyte, will be leading negotiations with Moscow due to his personal relationship with Trump.

Statistics:

• Over 1,300 officials were let go at the state department last month as part of a drive to slash the federal workforce.
• The US diplomatic corps, the foreign service, has lost a significant portion of its workforce in Trump's second term, with estimates suggesting some 25 per cent of foreign service officers have left their jobs since January.
• Dozens of foreign policy and national security experts were ousted from their jobs at the NSC in May, including Eric Rubin, a former career diplomat and US ambassador to Bulgaria.

Sources:

• Eric Rubin, former US ambassador to Bulgaria
• Eric Green, senior director for Russia at the National Security Council during Joe Biden's presidency
• Daniel Fried, former US ambassador to Poland
• John Bolton, former national security adviser
• American Foreign Service Association (AFSA)
• State Department
• Deputy White House press secretary Anna Kelly
• Sputnik/Reuters
• Pablo Martinez Monsivais/AP