Trump and Putin held undisclosed private meeting at G20

Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin held a second undisclosed meeting only attended by one Russian translator during the G20 summit in Hamburg, the White House said on Tuesday.

The US and Russian presidents held the meeting on July 7 amid a media frenzy about the two men’s relationship following previous allegations of attempts from the Kremlin to influence last year’s US presidential election.

The statement from the White House did not confirm what was discussed during the meeting, but said it took place at the end of a formal dinner between several leaders.

The meeting was first reported by Ian Bremmer, the president of international consulting group Eurasia Group. Bremmer added that Trump’s own translator was not present at the discussion, only that of Putin.

The consultant said: “It’s very clear that Trump’s best single relationship in the G20 is with Putin. US allies were surprised, flummoxed, disheartened. You’ve got Trump in the room with all these allies and who’s the one he spends time with?”

Trump condemned suggestions that the meeting was not disclosed by his administration, describing them as 'sick'.