Swordsmyth
01-29-2019, 06:46 PM
Trump met with Putin at the G-20 meeting in Buenos Aires last month without any aides or note takers present, once again leaving no official record of what was said. As a matter of fact, the meeting between the two leaders had been briefly reported by the Argentine press - but aside from the timing (the paper said the meeting went for more than 10 minutes and was more than a quick greeting). Putin was accompanied by staff, Trump was joined only by Melania. The conversation reportedly lasted for only a few minutes, and was described as one of several "informal" chats that Trump had that night with foreign leaders, before he joined Chinese President Xi Jinping for a dinner where the two agreed to a temporary trade truce. The two leaders had been planning a formal meeting at the summit, but it was canceled at the last minute as tensions flared over as the Kerch Strait crisis flared.
Mr Trump was accompanied by Melania Trump, his wife, but no staff, while Mr Putin was flanked by his translator. The four of them sat at a table and were among the last to leave. The White House has acknowledged the two leaders met in Buenos Aires, after Mr Trump cancelled formal bilateral talks following Russia’s November attack on three Ukrainian naval vessels in the Azov Sea. Mr Trump’s aides characterised the Putin encounter as one of several “informal” conversations that Mr Trump had with his counterparts that evening.
The accounts of people familiar with the conversation said it appeared longer and more substantive than the White House has acknowledged. According to a Russian government official’s account, the two leaders spoke for about 15 minutes about a number of foreign policy issues, including the Azov Sea incident, and the conflict in Syria. They also discussed when they could have a formal meeting, the official said.
The FT (https://www.ft.com/content/61842ec4-23a0-11e9-8ce6-5db4543da632) report was relatively scant on detail: It included no information about what had been discussed, other than vague "foreign policy issues" including the Kerch Strait incident. The FT identified its sources as anonymous Russian officials.
According to a Russian government official’s account, the two leaders spoke for about 15 minutes about a number of foreign policy issues, including the Azov Sea incident, and the conflict in Syria. They also discussed when they could have a formal meeting, the official said. Mr Trump explained that a full meeting with Mr Putin was impossible at the time, and the Russian leader responded by saying he “was not in a hurry” and remained ready to meet when it suited Mr Trump best, the Russian official said.
More at: https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2019-01-29/trump-met-putin-g-20-no-note-takers-present
Mr Trump was accompanied by Melania Trump, his wife, but no staff, while Mr Putin was flanked by his translator. The four of them sat at a table and were among the last to leave. The White House has acknowledged the two leaders met in Buenos Aires, after Mr Trump cancelled formal bilateral talks following Russia’s November attack on three Ukrainian naval vessels in the Azov Sea. Mr Trump’s aides characterised the Putin encounter as one of several “informal” conversations that Mr Trump had with his counterparts that evening.
The accounts of people familiar with the conversation said it appeared longer and more substantive than the White House has acknowledged. According to a Russian government official’s account, the two leaders spoke for about 15 minutes about a number of foreign policy issues, including the Azov Sea incident, and the conflict in Syria. They also discussed when they could have a formal meeting, the official said.
The FT (https://www.ft.com/content/61842ec4-23a0-11e9-8ce6-5db4543da632) report was relatively scant on detail: It included no information about what had been discussed, other than vague "foreign policy issues" including the Kerch Strait incident. The FT identified its sources as anonymous Russian officials.
According to a Russian government official’s account, the two leaders spoke for about 15 minutes about a number of foreign policy issues, including the Azov Sea incident, and the conflict in Syria. They also discussed when they could have a formal meeting, the official said. Mr Trump explained that a full meeting with Mr Putin was impossible at the time, and the Russian leader responded by saying he “was not in a hurry” and remained ready to meet when it suited Mr Trump best, the Russian official said.
More at: https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2019-01-29/trump-met-putin-g-20-no-note-takers-present