hello and welcome to dateline, the programme in which some of the uk s most distinguished columnists lock horns with those who write for the folks back home under the dateline london . this weekend 7 has theresa may 5 brexit plan been trumped? and after the president practices his golf swing against his fellow nato leaders, will it be a case of straight down the middle with vladimir putin, or will he be heading to the bunker? with me, john fisher burns of the new york times, alexander nekrassov, a russian journalist, the documentary film maker and italian journalist annalissa piras, and the british political commentator adam raphael. over—paid, over—sexed and over here, political commentator adam raphael. the war time grumble of the british about the g.i.s, us soldiers, barracked here. boy, though, did we — and the rest of europe 7 need them. that 5 still the calculation 70 years on, judging by the way in which prime minister theresa may lavished praise on president donald trump, hours after a newspaper interview was published in which he suggested a free trade deal wouldn t happen because her version of brexit would leave the uk bound too closely to the european union after it has left. oh, and by the way, wouldn t

borisjohnson 7 says very good things about me 7 make a great prime minister? adam raphael, he bowled back on that interview the next day when he was standing next to teresa a. but at the damage already been done? yes. trump got it right basically. you can't have a free—trade deal with the united states which is consistent with the brexit white paper. it was one of those instances where, frankly, he impressed his post by saying exactly what the truth was. it is an impossible situation which theresa may faces because she has got trump on one hand but she has got her party on another and this is bitterly divided on this white paper. we had to resignations already. there could be more to come. she will have to make further concessions in europe to try

and getan further concessions in europe to try and get an agreement and it really will be a form of customs arrangement of some sort. it won't be called a customs union because thatis be called a customs union because that is a no word as far as theresa may is concerned, but it will have two big some sort of widespread alignment of all british trading interests with you rub and regulations. the real issue is can she get it through parliament. the boat this autumn in parliament are very uncertain. there is certainly no majority in parliament for a hard brexit. they may not be a majority in parliament for what theresa may wa nts. in parliament for what theresa may wants. if there is not back then we are in unknown territory, general elections, vote of confidence. no one can be confident about what is going to happen. interesting months and days ahead. on monday the new

british brexit secretary, because the old one resigned over the white paper, goes to brussels to present it to european negotiators. presumably the bubbles will have been emboldened by donald trump's newspaper interview. what on earth possessed him7 newspaper interview. what on earth possessed him? i think if we try to be coherent —— make coherent the outburst of donald trump it would driver was all mad. we saw him... what possesses him when he gets to up what possesses him when he gets to up every morning, it is difficult to say. as adam said, he is not entirely wrong about brexit and he is not entirely wrong about other issues. there was a meeting with the

european research group, the hardline brexiteer group european research group, the ha rdline brexiteer group led european research group, the hardline brexiteer group led by the conservative backbencherjacob rees—mogg, and that predated the white paper. clearly they had a sense that things were moving away from them and theresa may seem to be moving towards some kind of soft brexit, some kind of deal where we remain closely aligned to the eu. she doesn't take a doctrinaire position. we hear a lot about the 17.4 million people who voted for brexit for whom i have a good deal of sympathy. i have seen how much we stand to lose if we do not protect out stand to lose if we do not protect our national identity. but we don't hear so much about the 16.1 million people who voted to remain. and it seems to mean that what is forgotten about this very often is that in democracy there is the will of the majority but also respectfully minority. theresa may is steering a

difficult course in which he has come up with something which could, just could reconcile a majority in out just could reconcile a majority in our own just could reconcile a majority in our own party and might even reconcile eight majority in parliament. and if she does that it will be a famous thing. parliament. and if she does that it will be a famous thinglj parliament. and if she does that it will be a famous thing. i have no such optimism. as for trump, i regard him not as a politician but isa regard him not as a politician but is a narcissistic salesman with a psychological disorder. it sounds very rude, but he is bizarre. the idea that there is any predictability in how he behaves, it is not there. he will wake up in the morning and decide whatever he does decide. the idea that some sort of consistent pattern of behaviour from him,| consistent pattern of behaviour from him, i don't know. i am looking forward to what is going to go on in helsinki. we will talk about that later. you think the negotiators when they see this white paper will seek think it is something they can

work with? i think the noises from brussels and very clear. this is a good step forward but still does not respect the fundamental deadlines. that is what michelle bernier said. they will check it against a deadline. the deadlines have always been the same so there is a certain level of boredom about it, about the four fundamental freedoms. these are guidelines for the european union. the negotiating guidelines by the ministers. in the end, if the politicians want to cut a deal, they can cut to the guidelines. not really because of the four freedoms at the pillars of the european union. britain cannot have its cake and eat it so they cannot cross those lines without all the others saying... how fragile and deeply

under attack those four freedoms are elsewhere in europe, including in your native country. it seems to me we ta ke your native country. it seems to me we take dynamic within europe which could change this picture pretty substantially. for example on the question of freedom of movement. but freedom of movement is already changing andl freedom of movement is already changing and i think that the good point about it the proposal of theresa may is that they are starting to say that they will find a way to allow eu citizens but without having freedom of movement. this is all under negotiation already but the big question mark would be, is it worth it? because, at the end of the day if we end up ina at the end of the day if we end up in a situation which is the same as before brexit, but with less power, would it be worth it? theresa may

created this mess herself. she should have started with a position of strength towards eu. the eu was horrified by brexit. they were weak. they were expecting a very tough approach to them. you think she should have taken the donald trump approach7 should have taken the donald trump approach? of course. the trump approach? of course. the trump approach was, you give us what we wa nt we approach was, you give us what we want we leave. can you are much and if britain walks away from the eu? the eu would have collapsed. that was the point that he made to theresa may. but she should be strong. she decided to be weak. she decided to please everyone. that is why the mess which she created now. i fundamentally disagree because theresa may's mistake in british political terms was that she laid out a series of red lines that she could not deliver. she has been in retreat from these red lines ever since the florence speech and she

goes on retweeting and she continues to retreat. that appears to be disastrous. the reality is she is in a very difficult position in a sense that she has an impossible party, she somehow is to reconcile her party. the idea of donald trump that she canjust party. the idea of donald trump that she can just lay down the ghost party. the idea of donald trump that she canjust lay down the ghost eu and they willjust... it is nonsense. she would have destroyed her party and this country because the economic consequences of a total break would be disastrous for this country. historically inaccurate to what donald trump and alexander are saying extra there was a moment when britain said a no deal brexit is brexit and the answer for the 27 was extraordinary. for once in european history they were moving as a unique block. they said, we're not going to be bullied by britain. it was one

against 27. this dream that britain could have been taught that is frankly... leaving the language aside. sorry, sorry! it is lost in translation. we haven't even mentioned the two cabinet ministers that resigned this week. it shows you that how extraordinary this week has been. nato is not an organisation that normally appeals to pacifists. but they ought to admire the way the other leaders of the western alliance pacified donald trump. apart from the expression of alarm which briefly passed over the face of the nato secretary generaljens stoltenberg as president trump turned a breakfast photo op into an attack on germany for its energy dependence on russia and unwillingness to spend more on defence, the leaders took the blows without striking back. next, he ll deploy his charm on vladimir putin at a one—on—one meeting in helsinki. anneliese, journalist like to see a speak truth to power but that is

really what donald trump was doing. he was pointing out that the europeans had got away with spending not as much as they should on defence for a long time. they are just relying on uncle sam. no. the point is that every american president has been saying that for a long time so this was not a kind of new thing. the word donald trump was doing was what he does very well. he was giving reality tv drama, stealing the show, by getting attention. there were a lot of very important issues that the european citizens should have known about. they were on the table and crucial for our security, but donald trump decided to divert attention from thoseissue decided to divert attention from those issue which are very competent and controversial for him and to put it on and controversial for him and to put itona and controversial for him and to put it on a question of money. everyone understands money so he said, i am

here to get more money for us, for nato and europeans do not want to put the money on the table. actually thatis put the money on the table. actually that is not the main issue. the main issueis that is not the main issue. the main issue is that nato is 70 years old, issue is that nato is 70 years old, is outdated and the world has become much more at unstable and nato needs to change the way it works. one of the first points is cyber warfare, new forms of cyber warfare. and the bush and meddling in internal politics in other countries is the number—i concern because it is a way of waging warto number—i concern because it is a way of waging war to other countries that does not respect the conventional kind of of warfare. none of that made it onto the agenda. no, for a reason because donald trump doesn't like to talk about meddling in internal elections because he was elected with strong suspicions of interference from russia. every time donald trump

those abroad he addresses his voters first of all. i am just explaining why he said that. secondly, the reason why he went to germany was a very logical and cunning thing to do because this absurdity which is spoken about him being elected with the help of the russians turn the tables around and he said excuse me, you are buying stuff from the russians, you depend on them are so who why you two don't talk to me like that? that is a point he was making and it was a very clever move. there was a lot of discussion about nato and its failures in afghanistan, for example, when nato claps completely and showed its total incompetence, its total corruption and so on. nato, when you say it is to change, it has to

disappear gradually because nato should have disappeared when the cold war was over. that was the arrangement... if people like you we re arrangement... if people like you were more dispassionate... arrangement... if people like you were more dispassionate. .. the point was that there was an agreement between... that nato would not move eastwards. that it would gradually succumbed. now you are talking about nato basically taking over the whole of you wrap, moving into asia worrying china. nato has become an aggressive block so please stop...|j aggressive block so please stop...” went to moscow in the 19805 and listened to alexander, it is like being going back 30 years. you speak

like a hardline kremlin ideologue. you don't like an american imperialist, but who cares? what we are discussing is at the west light to russia. the west is annie aggressive alliance with nato. why did donald trump choose to do what he did just before going to helsinki7 the two things that need to be connected i5 helsinki7 the two things that need to be connected is this. everything i5 interconnected. to be connected is this. everything is interconnected. his principal point was that are the one that american presidents have been raising for 40 years. the us cannot be expected to go on bearing the 90% of the cost of nato, whether or not he will succeed using the blunt instrument that he did i don't know, but i go back to my childhood. my child was a senior nato officer. we

passed a grassy mound ringed by concentric circles of razor wire behind which were some people wearing uniforms that i didn't recognise. it was my first sighting asa recognise. it was my first sighting as a teenager of americans and my father said to me, these are the people who keep the peace. it was true then, it was —— it was true now. europe has to be confronted about this. he may have been vulgar, brute, but he wasn't completely wrong. do you see any credibility in this suggestion that he may consider removing some of the troops that are currently based in cuba? he might threaten it. i rather doubt whether he will carry it through. as always, you are dealing with a salesman who

believes in putting these maximum demands first. john is right, europe does need to step up to its own defence. we can continue just to rely on united states. with a president like that we would be mad to do so. the fact that germany has been spending way under for many years is wrong. germany has a very close relationship with russia over this gas line. of course i also agree with annalisa, all of these things are interconnected. trump is so things are interconnected. trump is so vulnerable on russia because of his links to russia, financial links to his property empire, the all the time is feeling he has to safeguard it. he says contradictory things to contradictory people. i find it extraordinary. it is a high risk visit. goodness knows what he is

going to say to the russians. i don't have a clue. it is a interesting question. what do you think vladimir putin will say to donald trump marnie stirling what will he be asking for? it is going to be man to man on helsinki in monday. it is a first and they'd meet. i don't expect a lot to come out of it. but putin has several issues which he has two race with him. one of them is the ukraine. the ukraine, given the western version... i ukraine, given the western version... lam ukraine, given the western version... i am talking about the crisis itself. the western version is that russia invaded the crimea, russia attacked the eastern ukraine and so on. it forgets there was eight crew, and aggressive government... this is a very sensitive issue. that is an issue he

will be talking about. in syria, you need to take the troops out. you need to take the troops out. you need to take the troops out. you need to talk to trump. iran is on the table. nuclear weapons, definitely. terrorism, definitely. as for private conversation which they will have without anyone, i think they will talk about this stupidity about russia deciding the american elections which is impossible! there are claims russians were trying to influence... i'm sorry, it is a political falsehood. i think they will talk about it. trump promised he would raise the issue with putin. did your boys medal or not? you think they are worried in western europe in

particular about what donald trump and glad you put a blend of talking about7 and glad you put a blend of talking about? indeed they are. everything i5 interconnected so we know that trump wants to get the troops out of syria that there is a possible deal with putin in a kind of crowning him the foreign power... he will want a deal on iran because that is what trump i5 deal on iran because that is what trump is worried about. what is happening here... moscow has a lot of influence in teheran. absolutely. there is the issue of oil. they want iran to stop it... there are a lot of deals going on which do not involve the western world. that raises the question whether the eu, whether we should welcome the5e

raises the question whether the eu, whether we should welcome these two engaging with each other even if we don't like how they choose to carve up don't like how they choose to carve up part of the middle east.” don't like how they choose to carve up part of the middle east. i don't think that the position that alexander hasjust think that the position that alexander has just presented a totally innocent kremlin, whether it's the ukraine or syria are so many other issues or novichok for that matter, is going to be convincing. if mr putin takes a position i don't seek much business to be done. is it relevant to him? syria has almost been settled because of russian intervention.” think trump has to be very careful. whatever trump says abroad, he is aiming ata whatever trump says abroad, he is aiming at a domestic audience and therefore his real concern now is what is going on with the investigation by robert moeller and his affairs, how closely he is

linked to brochure, how much russian finance underpins his property empire, what tax evasion he is involved in. he has got to give no ammunition to his critics in the united states by appearing to be close to putin. i rather agree, i think there will be an exchange of views but i very much doubt there will be much of substance because it is too dangerous for him. he has to beat very careful not to provoke mr putin. if they were deeply involved in the american election in 2000 and mac in 2016, he asked to be very careful not to provoke mr putin into leaks which he... if he does know what happens, there could be very damaging leaks which could drive donald trump ever closer. we're mentioned celia and we have heard that the city and state is now flying again. the rebel held out has

crumbled. what sort of arrangement could russia offered to donald trump that would suit both men over the future of syria? in a sense, russia has achieved what it is wanted in syria and syria is a united country. the basis is not that important because, russia unlike america which has bases everywhere, russia is basing its strategy on the nuclear arms. is not beating its strategy on bases because they are tiny. i think what happened there in syria was an unusual combination of iran and russia, america and israel cooperating so well that they have managed to avoid a regional war emerging from syria. that is a great achievement by the way. people

forget about that. i think on syria they are actually moving both in the right direction. i think the challenge for putin is the ukraine. it isa challenge for putin is the ukraine. it is a very serious challenge. basically it is the main challenge of his presidency. i don't actually see how donald trump can help him. that is a serious problem because there is no way forward, it will alienate european partners. the means to agreement is very clear. it i5 means to agreement is very clear. it is on the cable and bush are still accepted. it is useless. it is unfulfilled. president putin is show to be very cunning when it comes to creating new opportunities on new ideas. the idea of some form of un peacekeeping force, 5ome ideas. the idea of some form of un peacekeeping force, some form of ceasefire that can be implemented i5 not rocket science. that could happen. the problem is that donald trump seem5 happen. the problem is that donald trump seems to have a very...

becau5e trump seems to have a very... because of the russian interference problem and other things. he wants to get out of syria. he can push anything through. we will find out on monday whether donald trump can play things as vladimir putin when the two men meet at that summit in hel5inki. that's it for dateline london for this week — we're back next week at the same time. goodbye. that won't really be the case today

for many of us. it looks dry, 5ettled for many of us. it looks dry, settled and sony. it will feel quite hot all across southern areas of wale5. hot all across southern areas of wales. it will bring some shoddy outbreak5 wales. it will bring some shoddy outbreaks of wales. it will bring some shoddy outbrea ks of rain wales. it will bring some shoddy outbreaks of rain acro55 wales. it will bring some shoddy outbreaks of rain across the western isles and the how west northern ireland but it is going to take its time in pushing steadily eastwards. high pressure is in the driving seat, dry 5ettled high pressure is in the driving seat, dry settled and sunny weather. an outside ri5k seat, dry settled and sunny weather. an outside risk of other isolated showers in east anglia. the cloud will gather into northern ireland and western scotland with some shoddy outbreak5 and western scotland with some shoddy outbreaks of rain. it should 5tay shoddy outbreaks of rain. it should stay dry, joe the eastern scotland but a little bit fresher behind the yellow tone5 here once we... need to high 205 here behind that the weather front, 16 to 23 degrees. that means if you are lucky enough to have wimbledon tickets this

afternoon, the weather is certainly not going to disappoint. you will need your 5un hat and sunscreen and if we get 30 degrees for the men's final it will be the warmest men's final it will be the warmest men's finalfor final it will be the warmest men's final for 20 final it will be the warmest men's finalfor 20 years. for final it will be the warmest men's final for 20 years. for that we have a 5ultry night to get through particular in england and wales. the bridge is not falling far. it's teen5. further north and west our weather front continue5 teen5. further north and west our weather front continues to bring outbreak5 weather front continues to bring outbreaks of showers. we5tern scotla nd outbreaks of showers. we5tern scotland drifting steadily eastwards. not making an impression on eastern scotland and the borders but they 5lightly pressure and breezy feel. further 5outh, but they 5lightly pressure and breezy feel. furthersouth, one still. very light wind5 breezy feel. furthersouth, one still. very light winds and even along that ea5t still. very light winds and even along that east coast with the breeze coming from inland we will 5ee temperatures into the high 205. a perfect afternoon. the weather but will go south and east but it will not bring significant rain for the gardens that are starting to get quite desperate now. it will

introduce more in the way of cloud and slightly pressure conditions. if it is too hot for you at the moment, by tuesday onwards we will see ghost p i ctu res by tuesday onwards we will see ghost pictu res into by tuesday onwards we will see ghost pictures into the low 205. this is bbc world news. our top stories... more prote5t5 are taking place in scotland where donald trump has spent the night after two days of meetings with the british prime minister. he is expected to play some golf. he has been met by protest5, a5 he is expected to play some golf. he has been met by protest5, as police investigate a paraglider flying within yard5 investigate a paraglider flying within yards of his hotel last night. an explosive device has been thrown at the home of gerry adams in west belfast. back from maternity leave serena

williams look5 back from maternity leave serena williams looks to make history at the ladies 5ingle final today. she ta kes the ladies 5ingle final today. she takes on kerber in what could be her 24th grand slam title. and at 12:30pm, this week it's all about