White House Statement on Trump's Second Meeting with Putin at G20 Summit

The White House announced on Tuesday that the presidents of the United States and Russia had a second meeting during the G20 summit in Hamburg, Germany, which included a "brief conversation." Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin had an official bilateral meeting on July 7 that lasted over two hours; the White House spokesperson stated on July 27 that they also had a "brief conversation" during the leaders' dinner, accompanied by their spouses. Television coverage of the dinner showed Melania Trump, the wife of the U.S. President, sitting next to Vladimir Putin. Ian Bremmer, president of the Eurasia Group, the first to reveal the details of the second meeting, stated that Trump got up from his seat during dinner and privately spoke with the Russian president for nearly an hour, "only in the presence of Putin's personal translator." The Eurasia Group is a large advisory firm specializing in political risk, headquartered in New York. Bremmer noted that the absence of an American translator during this conversation drew the attention of attendees, as it could signify "disregarding national security protocols." The White House, in a statement released, said Mr. Trump used the Russian translator because the American translator present at the dinner did not speak Russian. The U.S. President also reacted to these reports on his Twitter account on July 27, stating, "The fake news about a secret dinner with Putin is sick. All G20 leaders and their spouses were invited by the Chancellor of Germany. The media knew this." In another tweet, he wrote, "Fake news is losing more and more of its credibility. Even a dinner party for G20 leaders in Germany is portrayed as sinister." Donald Trump has repeatedly labeled some reports from various major media outlets as "fake news," a term typically referring to these outlets. Currently, investigations by the FBI and congressional committees are ongoing regarding allegations of Russian interference in the U.S. elections and claims concerning connections between some members of Trump's campaign team and Russian officials. Donald Trump has emphatically denied any connections between his campaign members and Russian officials. Vladimir Putin, the President of Russia, has also denied allegations regarding his government's interference in last year's U.S. elections, hacking the emails of the Democratic National Committee, and leaking them.