President Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin had what the White House called an “informal conversation” Friday during a dinner at the Group of 20 summit in Argentina.
“As is typical at multilateral events, President Trump and the first lady had a number of informal conversations with world leaders at the dinner last night, including President Putin,” White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said when asked about interactions between the two presidents.
The conversation comes two days after an announcement from Trump canceled a formal meeting with Putin in Argentina on Thursday, citing the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict. Critics have accused Trump of skipping out on the meeting due to recent developments in Robert Mueller’s investigation against former Trump aides Michael Cohen and Paul Manafort, and their connections to possible Russian collusion in the 2016 presidential election, which the White House has denied.
….in Argentina with President Vladimir Putin. I look forward to a meaningful Summit again as soon as this situation is resolved!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 29, 2018
Trump’s conversation with Putin comes amid a week of uncertainty over the planned meeting between the two leaders. Just about an hour before his announcement Thursday, he’d told reporters that he “probably” would meet with Putin, despite telling the Washington Post earlier that week that he was considering canceling.
Trump and first lady Melania Trump were seated just a few seats from Putin at the dinner table Friday night. They were separated by the Chinese President Xi Jinping and first lady Peng Liyuan, who were seated between them and the Russian president, according to CNN.
Last year, Trump had an hourlong meeting with his Russian counterpart at the summit.
