Trump and Putin had second, undisclosed 'conversation'
US President dismisses reports of private meeting in Hamburg as 'fake news'
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.
However, "there is no official United States government record of the intimate dinner conversation, because no American official other than the president was involved," the New York Times reports.
Subscribe to 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.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Will college Gaza protests tip the US election?
Talking Point Gaza protests on U.S. campuses pose problems for Biden like the ones that hurt Lyndon B. Johnson in the '60s
By Harold Maass, The Week US Published
-
Crossword: May 10, 2024
The Week's daily crossword puzzle
By The Week Staff Published
-
Sudoku hard: May 10, 2024
The Week's daily hard sudoku puzzle
By The Week Staff Published
-
'Why would anyone look to the United States as a model?'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Harold Maass, The Week US Published
-
Kristi Noem and the politics of puppy killing
Talking Point Revelations in Republican's upcoming memoir may have doomed her political career
By The Week UK Published
-
'Is the death penalty racist? Of course it is.'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Harold Maass, The Week US Published
-
Trump's partly stormy day in court
Speed Read Porn actress Stormy Daniels testified in graphic detail about her 2006 encounter with the former president
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
'New arrivals are more than paying for themselves'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Harold Maass, The Week US Published
-
Russia rattles nuclear saber, orders tactical nuke drills
Speed Read President Vladimir Putin has ordered Russian military to hold nuclear weapons drills in response to Western "threats"
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
The Don's enablers
Opinion Even Republicans who know better won't get in Trump's way
By William Falk Published
-
'Climate studies are increasingly becoming politicized'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Harold Maass, The Week US Published