U.S. President Donald Trump and British Prime Minister Theresa May both met with Russian President Vladimir Putin on June 28, on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in Osaka, Japan.
Trump faced criticism for his latest meeting with Putin, which appeared to feature a light-hearted and friendly tone. Media were present after the bilateral meeting.
Other senior officials from the U.S. administration and the Kremlin also joined the sideline meeting.
Trump, addressing the Russian president as Vladimir, said that the meeting with Putin was “great” and praised their “very good relationship.”
In response to a question from U.S. media, the American president also appeared to make light of the 2016 U.S. election interference scandal, in which Moscow has been accused of helping Trump to get elected.
“Don’t meddle in the election,” Trump said to Putin, smiling and wagging a finger in the direction of a laughing Russian delegation.
At the same moment, an American journalist can be heard asking if the two leaders discussed the fate of 24 Ukrainian sailors held captive in Moscow. Neither leader responded.
Putin and Trump also shared a joke about their problems with the media and so-called “fake news,” and even joked about “getting rid” of journalists.
Pointing to media in the room, Trump said: “Get rid of them. Fake news is a great term, isn’t it? You don’t have this problem in Russia, but we do.”
“We also have. It’s the same,” Putin responded in English. Russia, where reporters still face imprisonment, torture and even murder, is ranked 149 out of 180 countries on the World Press Freedom Index.
In a statement, the White House said that Trump and Putin had discussed Iran, Syria, Venezuela and Ukraine, but did not elaborate in detail. Both leaders agreed that “improved relations” were in the “mutual interest” of both countries, the statement added.
Putin is understood to have had a rougher time in a private meeting with British Prime Minister Theresa May. A stone-faced May greeted the Russian president with a frosty handshake before media were ushered out of the room.
A spokesperson for Downing Street said May had told Putin there would be no normalization of relations between their two countries “until Russia stops the irresponsible and destabilizing activity that threatens the UK and its allies — including hostile interventions in other countries, disinformation and cyber attacks.”
May also underlined that the U.K. remains open to a different relationship with Russia, but not until the Kremlin chooses a different path.
Downing Street also said that May pressed Putin on his country’s war against Ukraine and its seizure of Ukrainian sailors.
“She (the PM) also said that Russia’s actions in Ukraine are deeply concerning and that for any progress to be made there needs to be a deescalation in the conflict and the release of the 24 Ukrainian servicemen whose vessels were forcibly seized in the Black Sea.”
