President Donald Trump sat down with Russian President Vladimir Putin Friday in one of the most highly anticipated meetings of the Group 20 Summit, according to The Wall Street Journal.
The two world leaders are attending the international G20 Summit held in Hamburg, Germany where leaders from all over the world are scheduled to meet and discuss issues such as climate change, global trade, North Korea, Syria and the Ukraine. However, no meeting has been as high profile as the one between Trump and Putin. The New York Timesreports that “Scores of journalists shouted questions as the two leaders sat side by side for photographs before the actual meeting.”
The importance and high-profile coverage of their exchange is due in large part to the two leaders' rocky history. Allegations of Russia’s interference in the 2016 Presidential election, as well as, a dossier of unsigned memos that detail Trump’s alleged dealings with Russia before the election, have made many people wary of the two's relationship. While none of the claims have been proven definitively true, just the chance that they may be true is enough to cause worry.
Secretary of State Rex Tillerson accompanied President Trump to the meeting, and President Putin was accompanied by his foreign minister, Sergey V. Lavrov. Both parties had translators, according to CNN. While the conversation was not be open to the public, Trump did say, “President Putin and I have been discussing various things, and I think it’s going very well. We look forward to a lot of very positive happenings for Russia and for the United States, and for everyone concerned.” Already, differing accounts have emerged about Trump's and Putin's conversation on election interference.
In the meantime, all we are left to do is sit and wait to learn more about what the two world leaders discussed.