But it is more than a photo op. In addition to thawing #Russia’s pariah status in the West, the summit has sowed discord within #NATO — a perennial Russian goal — & postponed #Trump’s threat of tough new #sanctions. Little more than two weeks ago, he vowed that if #Putin did not commit to a cease-fire by last Friday, he would punish Moscow & countries like China & India that help Russia’s war effort by buying its oil gas.