'It's an honor to be with you': Trump and Putin hold their first high-stakes meeting

pulse

July 7, 2017 3:51 PM

President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday met for the first time, as they gather with other world leaders at the G-20 summit.

Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin pose for photos before meeting privately on Friday in Germany.

US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday met for the first time, as they gather with other world leaders at the G-20 summit in Hamburg, Germany.

"It's an honor to be with you," Trump said at the start of the bilateral sit-down. Putin replied that he was "delighted to meet" Trump, according to a translation.

The two presidents posed for photos before beginning the private meeting around 10 a.m. ET. Joining them were US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, and two translators.

Trump's official meeting with Putin, which was originally scheduled to last for 30 minutes, went on for over two hours. Already emerging from the closed-door discussion is the news that Russia will announce a cease-fire in Southwest Syria beginning on Sunday, according to the AP.

Friday's meeting took place amid crumbling US-Russia relations. The president faces investigations by Congress and by the FBI into Russian interference in the 2016 election and whether the Trump campaign played a role in it.

According to a pool report, Trump ignored a question about whether he planned to discuss Russia's election meddling with Putin.

Putin and Trump also met more informally on Friday — they were photographed and videotaped laughing and shaking hands.

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