Shady deal: Trump prepares concessions for Putin at first G20 meeting

The Guardian reports that the White House asked its National Security Council staff to come up with a list of “deliverables” Trump can offer Putin during their first in-person meeting at the G20 summit in Germany next month.

For those unfamiliar with the term “deliverables,” it is most commonly used to mean what one promises to “deliver” a paying client as part of an business agreement.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has already warned “master of the deal” Trump that “Putin also knows how to negotiate, and does it always in the interest of Russia.”

Meanwhile, Trump’s own advisers are voicing opposition to any plans for unilateral concessions from the United States. Security experts within the Trump administration previously pushed back against Trump’s desire for a formal state meeting solely between Trump and the Russian leader.

One possible “deliverable”  under consideration is returning the two compounds — one in Maryland and one in New York — formerly used by the Russian government. The compounds were seized by the U.S. government as part of sanctions in response to Russian active measures during the 2016 presidential campaign and other acts of Russian aggression.

The properties had long been used for espionage by Russian officials, and the Trump administration began floating the idea of returning them to Russian control in May. The Kremlin threatened “retaliatory measures” agains the U.S. for the seizure of the compounds earlier this week.

In the Trump’s book “The Art of the Deal,” he proclaimed one of his mottos to be, “You do your thing, you hold your ground, you stand up tall, and whatever happens, happens.”

The latest reports, however, suggest Trump is not interested in holding his ground, on behalf of the American people, when it comes to Russia.