Trump, Putin meet for first time; accounts of discussion differ
Russian minister: U.S. chief accepted counterpart’s denial
Meeting at G20 summit in Germany suggests election-meddling saga will continue to be a distraction for U.S. president.
HAMBURG, Germany — President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed in their first face-to-face encounter, a lengthy and amicable meeting Friday, to look beyond the controversy over Russia’s attempts to sway the 2016 U.S. campaign and “find a way to go forward.”
That was Secretary of State Rex Tillerson’s upbeat characterization of the meeting. But the two sides offered contrasting accounts of the discussion of election meddling between the leaders, which suggested that the long-running saga and on going criminal investigation will continue to be a potent distraction for the new president.
Trump raised the issue at the outset of a meeting that exceeded two hours. Putin denied any Russian interference and demanded proof, both sides agreed. But Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, who joined the presidents along with Tillerson, told reporters that Trump accepted Putin’s denial — an act that would have the American president taking sides against his intelligence agencies, whichhave unanimously concluded thatRussia, and Putin himself, were behind the election interference.
“Not a single fact has been presented,” Lavrov said. “President Trump has said that he has heard clear declarations from Mr. Putin that Russian leadership and Russian government has not interfered in the elections.”
Lavrov also said Trump called the lingering controversy “strange and bizarre.”
The WhiteHouse did not publicly dispute Lavrov’s claim, nor did aides respond to requests for clarification.
Tillerson told reporters that Trump began the discussions by “raising the concerns of the American people regarding Russian interference” in the U.S. political process, whichwas followed by a “robust” and “lengthy discussion of the matter.”
Trump and Putin agreed that the controversy was a “substantial hindrance in the ability to move the U.S.-Russian relationship forward,” Tillerson said.
White House aides had been circumspect about the agenda leading up to Friday’s formal meeting on the sidelines of the Group of 20 leaders’ summit here.
Ultimately the conversation covered a range of other issues, officials said, including Ukraine, where Russian aggression has drawn international sanctions; Syria, where Russia and Iran prop up the Assad regime that the U.S. opposes; North Korea, where Russia’s economic interests make it less eager than Trump to counter Pyongyang’s nuclear threats; terrorism and cybersecurity.
It was announced Friday that the two nations along with Jordan had brokered a cease-fire agreement in the southwest of Syria to take effect Sunday — an indication, Tillerson said, of what is possible when Russia and the U.S. cooperate on areas of mutual concern.
Talks went well beyond the scheduled 30 minutes— not surprising given past encounters between Putin and U.S. presidents. But it was nonetheless notable given the scrutiny on this one, taking place against the backdrop of the multiple investigations by the FBI and Congress into Russian involvement in the 2016 election and potential collusion involving former and current Trump aides.
Trump and Putin had exchanged cordial if lukewarm greetings in front of reporters before launching into the meeting, which included only the two presidents, Tillerson, Lavrov and two translators.
“We look forward to a lot of very positive things happening for Russia, and for the United States and for everybody concerned. And it’s an honor to be with you,” Trump said at the start of the meeting.
Putin said he was “delighted” for the chance to meet.
The two presidents decided to put together a “framework” to monitor cyberattacks and evaluate who should be “held accountable,” Tillerson said. Lavrov indicated that progress was not made on a Russian demand that the United States return two diplomatic compounds, one in Maryland and another in New York.
They reached no agreement on North Korea. On Ukraine, at Putin’s request, Trump has appointed a special representative to engage in discussions. A day earlier, in a visit to War saw, Trump called publicly for Russia to “cease its destabilizing activities in Ukraine and elsewhere.”
“Both presidents were driven by their national interests, and they also both understood that both countries can do this only if we search for a balance between the interests of our two countries and if we want to maintain stability,” Lavrov said.
The Russian foreign minister spoke to reporters soon after the presidents’ meeting. Tillerson addressed U.S. reporters later, with no cameras allowed and audio released only after the briefing ended.
Democrats condemned Trump for appearing not to challenge Putin over his reported claim of innocence in the U.S. election.
“President Trump had an obligation to bring up Russia’s interference in our election with Putin, but he has an equal obligation to take the word of our intelligence community rather than that of the Russian president,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, DN.Y., said in a statement.
Brian Bennett reported from Hamburg and Michael Memoli from Washington. Special correspondent Sabra Ayres contributed from Moscow.