That this speech is being given in Moscow shouldn’t come as a big surprise to anyone.
Trump's foreign policy adviser will talk about his foreign policy – just not today
Carter Page offered little except confusion and the occasional snigger, during a rambling presentation and an evasive question-and-answer session in Moscow.
By Shaun Walker
An event in Moscow promised to be a rare opportunity to get inside Donald Trump’s foreign policy thinking, as one of his advisers arrived in Russia to give a speech on the grand-sounding topic of the “future of the world economy”.
Page, an investment banker who previously worked in Russia, insisted he was in Russia on a private visit, although he is likely to meet Russian officials when he gives the commencement speech at the New Economic School in Moscow on Friday. He refused to comment on whether he had any meetings with officials planned.
The question and answer portion of the event at times descended into farce, as he even refused to answer the question on whether he was a “good person”, saying “I don’t really have any comments on that at this stage”.
Page has previously been quoted as an outspoken supporter of Putin and critic of western pressure on Russia. His visit is the latest chapter in a strange bromance between Trump and Russian president Vladimir Putin.
Trump himself has has often praised the Russian leader during the campaign, saying in a December interview “he’s running his country and at least he’s a leader, unlike what we have in this country”.
That these openly pro-Putin shills are the people Trump selected for his foreign policy advisors should raise serious questions about Trump’s Russia policy .