Kremlin and Washington confirm a Putin-Trump tete-a-tete at G20

RT
Thu, 29 Nov 2018 10:29 UTC

Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump will have a brief tete-a-tete conversation followed by an hour-long extended meeting at the G20 summit in Argentina, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.

The meeting is scheduled for December 1, on the second and the last day of the summit which is due to take place in Buenos Aires.

"At first there will be a brief conversation, as we expect, between the two presidents, and then the Russian-US talks, which may last about an hour," Peskov explained to journalists. Washington has already confirmed the talks, he added.

Earlier, the US president told the Washington Post that he might not have the meeting with his Russian counterpart following the recent maritime incident in the Kerch Strait. On Sunday three Ukrainian Navy vessels tried to force passage through the region, between the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov, before they were intercepted and captured by the Russian coast guard.

Peskov said that the Kremlin received no notice of Trump calling off talks, adding that preparations for the talks "continue."

The Russian leader will also meet Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman during the summit, Putin's aide Yury Ushakov said earlier. They will discuss the war in Syria, the Yemeni crisis, and the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

Meanwhile, Trump is not planning to hold a meeting with bin Salman, the president's National Security Advisor John Bolton said.

Comment: Update, 29 Nov 2018, 16:37

From RT: Trump cancels planned meeting with Putin at G20 over Russia-Ukraine flare up

US President Donald Trump has cancelled a scheduled meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin which was due to take place at the G20 Summit in Buenos Aires on Saturday.

Leaving the White House for Argentina on Thursday, Trump told reporters he "probably" would meet with Putin at the summit, but said he would make a decision after receiving a briefing on the plane.

Shortly after, Trump tweeted that "it would be best for all parties concerned" to cancel the meeting with Putin "based on the fact that the ships and sailors have not been returned to Ukraine."

Trump said he looked forward to a "meaningful summit" when the "situation is resolved."

Responding to Trump's decision, the Kremlin said it had received no confirmation of the cancellation through official channels. A Kremlin spokesperson said if the meeting is off, however, Putin will have a few free hours for other important meetings.

It's not the first time uncertainty has surrounded whether a meeting between the two leaders would take place. In fact, it seems to happen frequently.