President Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin had their first, highly anticipated face-to-face meeting earlier this month at the G-20 summit, but they also had a second, previously undisclosed meeting later that day during a dinner, a White House official confirmed to NBC News Tuesday.
The official said the pair spoke during a couples-only social dinner in Hamburg; in the middle of the meal, Trump left his seat to sit down next to Putin, The Washington Post reports. Ian Bremmer, president of the international consulting firm Eurasia Group, first reported on the meeting, and said he was told by people at the dinner it lasted an hour and was also attended by Putin's translator. Bremmer also said diners could see Trump and Putin talking to each other, but couldn't hear anything. The White House never announced this meeting took place, and The New York Times reports there is no U.S. government record of it.
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.
-
Ecuador rejects push to allow US military basesSpeed Read Voters rejected a repeal of a constitutional ban on US and other foreign military bases in the country
-
Trump pivots on Epstein vote amid GOP defectionsSpeed Read The president said House Republicans should vote on a forced release of the Justice Department’s Jeffrey Epstein files
-
Trump DOJ sues to block California redistrictingSpeed Read California’s new congressional map was drawn by Democrats to flip Republican-held House seats
-
GOP retreats from shutdown deal payout provisionSpeed Read Senators are distancing themselves from a controversial provision in the new government funding package
-
Catholic bishops rebuke Trump on immigrationSpeed Read ‘We feel compelled’ to ‘raise our voices in defense of God-given human dignity,’ the bishops said
-
House releases Epstein emails referencing TrumpSpeed Read The emails suggest Trump knew more about Epstein’s sex trafficking of underage women than he has claimed
-
Newsom slams Trump’s climate denial at COP30speed read Trump, who has called climate change a ‘hoax,’ declined to send any officials to this week’s summit
-
UK, Colombia halt intel to US over boat attacksSpeed Read Both countries have suspended intelligence sharing with the US over the bombing of civilian boats suspected of drug smuggling
