Well, of course Trump wants to meet with Putin. He obviously admires the man and enjoys his company. Who wouldn’t rather hang out with the bad boy of Europe than with Merkel the schoolmarm?
Since Trump has endless belief in his ability to get things done with his bottomless negotiating skills and endless charm, there is no line for him between business and personal. Actually knowing what he is talking about is far less important than what is in his golden gut.
Somehow, I don’t think Putin sees the world the same way.
As the story goes, Stalin was told by Churchill that a German invasion was imminent in 1940, but he refused to take any action to prepare for it, because if there was one leader he could trust, it was his fellow dictator–not some weenie democratic head of state. This sort of reminds me of that episode.