This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-40651502
The article has changed 14 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
Version 2 | Version 3 |
---|---|
Trump and Putin met twice at G20 in Germany | Trump and Putin met twice at G20 in Germany |
(35 minutes later) | |
US President Donald Trump met his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, at a second, previously undisclosed meeting at the G20 in Germany earlier this month, the White House says. | US President Donald Trump met his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, at a second, previously undisclosed meeting at the G20 in Germany earlier this month, the White House says. |
They held talks joined only by a Russian translator hours after a formal sit down, reports say. | They held talks joined only by a Russian translator hours after a formal sit down, reports say. |
Details of what they discussed were not revealed. There was no official record. | |
Their relationship is under intense scrutiny amid allegations of collusion between Russia and the Trump campaign. | |
US intelligence believe Russia helped Mr Trump get elected during last year's presidential campaign, something denied by Russia. Mr Trump has denied any collusion. | |
The second meeting happened during a private meal of heads of state at the G20 summit in Hamburg. | |
The US president was alone, and Mr Putin was attended only by his official interpreter, with US media saying it lasted an hour. | |
The only version of what was discussed was provided to White House officials by Mr Trump himself, as there were no other US aides present at the conversation. | |
'Raised eyebrows' | |
The White House confirmed this meeting after media reports revealed the encounter. An official described the interaction as a "brief conversation", not a "second meeting". | |
A Russian translator was used, the official added, because the US translator at the dinner did not speak Russian. | |
The second talks were first reported by Ian Bremmer, president of the US-based Eurasia Group, in a newsletter to clients. He described that both talked "privately and animatedly" and that the lack of a US translator had raised eyebrows at the dinner. | |
At the formal meeting, their first face-to-face encounter, Mr Trump said he repeatedly pressed Mr Putin about the allegations of interference in the US vote. | |
"I said, 'Did you do it?' He said, 'No, I did not, absolutely not.' I then asked him a second time, in a totally different way. He said, 'Absolutely not.'" |