Why Meeting With Trump Could Be 'Win-Win' for Putin

The world's eyes are on Hamburg, where G20 leaders are meeting—and where Vladimir Putin and President Trump shook hands for the first time Friday. The two will hold a much-anticipated one-on-one meeting later in the day. Trump tweeted early Friday that he is looking forward to all his meetings with world leaders and he has "much to discuss" with Putin. Officials say the men will meet for around an hour Friday afternoon. A roundup of coverage:

• CNN lists five things to look out for including optics and body language—the things that tend to define a meeting like this, most of which is expected to be off-limits to the press. The handshake will be "over-analyzed for weeks," CNN predicts.

• The BBC looks at the issues Putin and Trump have staked out different views on in recent weeks, including Ukraine and the Paris climate deal, and notes that the Russian media are not expecting much from the meeting.
• Analysts tell the New York Times that the meeting looks like a "win-win situation" for Putin. If little comes of it, Russia can claim that Trump is weak and unable to act because of problems in the US. But if deals emerge, Putin will be able to take credit for rebuilding the relationship despite issues including alleged election interference.
• The Kremlin says one issue that will definitely be raised is the return of two diplomatic compounds in the US seized in the final weeks of the Obama administration as payback for election meddling and other issues, reports the Washington Post.
• The White House declined to comment on what Trump might ask of Putin, though Secretary of State Rex Tillerson says Trump wants to discuss Syria and possible areas of cooperation "including no-fly zones, on-the-ground ceasefire observers, and coordinated delivery of humanitarian assistance," reports Reuters.
• Trump's critics say they worry Trump will be at a major disadvantage because of his lack of political experience compared to Putin, the Telegraph reports. "There's nothing ... the Kremlin would like to see more than a president who will settle for a grip and a grin and walk away saying that he had this fabulous meeting with the Kremlin autocrat," says Democratic Rep. Adam Schiff.
• The Guardian reports that ahead of Friday's meetings, there have been massive protests in Hamburg, with more than 100 police officers injured and at least 40 people arrested.

(More Vladimir Putin stories.)