Contrary to expectations, Vladimir Putin was not an overbearing presence at the 2018 World Cup. And yet it did not take a video assistant referee to spot the clear handball at the end of his joint press conference with Donald Trump that followed their summit in Helsinki. Their encounter caused anger and unease across much of the US and Europe but was not as substantively “historic” as its protagonists may have hoped.
Having waved away questions about Russian interference in the 2016 US presidential election, Putin produced a Fifa match ball, which he tossed into the hands of his counterpart. “The ball is now in your court,” he quipped, cracking a wry smile.
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