OSAKA – The presidents of Russia and the USA Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump met on the sidelines of the summit of “Big twenty” in the Japanese city of Osaka to discuss strategic stability issues that are of concern to the international community.
The two leaders first briefly talked before the photography ceremony at the G20 summit but did not discuss any significant issues.
The meeting began in a joking tone. When one of the journalists asked Trump if he intended to raise with the Russian President the issue of interference in the American elections, Trump said: “Of course, I will raise.”
Then he turned to Putin and said with a smile: “Please do not interfere in the election.”
In a brief statement before the talks began, Trump also spoke highly of his Russian counterpart.
“It is a great honor for me to be here with President Putin, – Trump said. – We have a very, very good relationship.”
The Russian President, in turn, said that “all the topics have been identified, we have not seen each other for a long time, since the meeting in Helsinki.”
“Our employees worked, and gave us a good opportunity to continue what we agreed in Helsinki,” Putin said.
President @realDonaldTrump just concluded his meeting with President Putin. They both agreed that improved relations was in each countries’ mutual interest and the interest of the world. They also discussed the situations in Iran, Syria, Venezuela, and Ukraine.
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) 28 июня 2019 г.
The current tensions with Iran will undoubtedly be one of the topics for discussion. Last week, Trump canceled air strikes in response to Iran’s destruction of the American drone. This happened a few hours after Putin said that the use of US armed force in the region “would be a disaster.”
The conversation lasted about an hour and a half. It is reported that the leaders discussed the topics of Iran, Ukraine, Syria, Venezuela. The White House stressed that the improvement of relations between States is in the interests of the whole world.
Bloomberg reports that during the discussion of the topic of arms control, the American President pointed to the need to include China in these negotiations.
The G20 summit takes place in Osaka, Japan, from 28 to 29 June 2019. 20 largest national economies of the world take part in it.
