But the White House has always made a big deal out of it because, somehow, it should be a miracle that the two most powerful people on Earth get within 2 feet of each other. Summits are not limited to meetings with the Russians. There have been meaningful Summits that have brought lifelong enemies to a table, such as the Palestinians and the Israeli's. But even those are getting old, as every peace treaty that results from the Summit is either voided, or simply falls apart, inviting another future Summit. The term 'Summit' was coined after President Eisenhower had important meetings with Nikita Krueschev at Camp David, known then as 'ShangriLa.
Summits are almost always unnecessary.
Putin and Clinton talk by phone several times a week. Of course, you do compromise the integrity of the discussions by the very fact that such a link would undoubtedly be subject to hacking and eavesdropping. Perhaps that's the reason that so much time, effort and money are pumped into these meetings. In the end, a 'Summit' is portrayed by the media as an act of bravery for the President. Billions around the World will most likely be watching the results of every one, whether they have a vested interest in the topics of discussion or not.