In this photo, taken on Friday, July 7, 2017, US President Donald Trump meets with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the G-20 Summit in Hamburg. AP
WASHINGTON, United States — Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin had an additional, previously undisclosed chat at this month’s G20 summit in Hamburg, the White House acknowledged on Tuesday.
After a brief greeting at the start of the two-day summit and a two-hour bilateral meeting with their foreign ministers on July 7, Trump and Putin also chatted over dinner on the final night of the summit, an official said.
“There was a couples-only social dinner at the G20,” a White House official told AFP. “Toward the end, the president spoke to Putin at the dinner.”
The disclosure has raised questions about what the pair talked about, who was present and why the meeting was not previously disclosed.
The Trump administration has been besieged by allegations that the president’s closest advisors colluded with Russia to win the 2016 election.
Trump’s eldest son Donald Jr recently released emails showing he held a meeting during the campaign with Kremlin-connected figures, hoping to get dirt on his dad’s election rival Hillary Clinton. CBB