A White House official has confirmed that US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin held a second, previously undisclosed meeting during the G20 summit in Germany in July. The informal encounter took place after a dinner for heads of state and their spouses, where Trump reportedly left his seat to sit with Putin for about an hour.
The revelation came from Ian Bremmer, president of Eurasia Group, who said he was informed by people at the dinner who were 'startled' by the interaction. Bremmer noted that the conversation was 'very animated and very friendly' and that Putin's translator was present, but Trump did not bring his own translator—a potential breach of national security protocol. The White House later explained that Trump's translator spoke Japanese, not Russian.
There is no official government record of the meeting, and it was not previously disclosed by the White House, which is under investigation for possible collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia. A senior administration official denied there was a 'second meeting', describing it as a 'brief conversation' that was 'perfectly normal'. Trump later tweeted that coverage of the 'secret dinner' was 'sick'.
The first formal meeting between the two leaders lasted over two hours, during which Trump said he raised the issue of election meddling and Putin denied it. The undisclosed second meeting has raised concerns among US allies and intensified scrutiny of Trump's relationship with Putin.
