The White House has confirmed reports that US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin held a second, previously undisclosed meeting during a dinner for G20 leaders and their partners in Hamburg.
Revealing the meeting, Ian Bremmer, president of the international consulting firm Eurasia Group, said the two men had a "very animated and very friendly" discussion.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
According to CNN, US presidents often hold private and impromptu discussions with other world leaders at summits, but "the lack of immediate disclosure from the administration as well as Trump's own posture with regard to Russia raised significant questions following reports of the discussion having taken place".
Both Trump and the White House sought to downplay the meeting, which officials said was a "brief conversation". The US President derided the reports as "fake news".
There is increasing concern over alleged collusion between Trump's presidential campaign team and Russia, which have prompted several investigations in the US.
Last week, Donald Trump Jr admitted he had met Russian lawyer Natalia Veselnitskaya in the hope of getting damaging information about his father's campaign rival Hillary Clinton.
The New York Times has identified two other people who were also at the meeting: Russian-American lobbyist Rinat Akhmetshin and Russian businessman Irakly Kaveladze.
-
Political cartoons for January 18Cartoons Sunday’s political cartoons include cost of living, endless supply of greed, and more
-
Exploring ancient forests on three continentsThe Week Recommends Reconnecting with historic nature across the world
-
How oil tankers have been weaponisedThe Explainer The seizure of a Russian tanker in the Atlantic last week has drawn attention to the country’s clandestine shipping network
-
Iran in flames: will the regime be toppled?In Depth The moral case for removing the ayatollahs is clear, but what a post-regime Iran would look like is anything but
-
Europe moves troops to Greenland as Trump fixatesSpeed Read Foreign ministers of Greenland and Denmark met at the White House yesterday
-
Why Greenland’s natural resources are nearly impossible to mineThe Explainer The country’s natural landscape makes the task extremely difficult
-
Trump, Iran trade threats as protest deaths riseSpeed Read The death toll in Iran has surpassed 500
-
Iran cuts internet as protests escalateSpeed Reada Government buildings across the country have been set on fire
-
What do the people of Greenland want for their future?As Europe prevaricates over US threats for annexation there is a unifying feeling of self-determination among Greenlanders
-
US nabs ‘shadow’ tanker claimed by RussiaSpeed Read The ship was one of two vessels seized by the US military
-
Venezuela ‘turning over’ oil to US, Trump saysSpeed Read This comes less than a week after Trump captured the country’s president
