Tag: secret meeting

Pentagon put in bind after Trump-Putin summit

The following article by Ellen Mitchell and Rebecca Kheel was posted on the Hill website July 21, 2018:

The Pentagon has been caught flat-footed after President Trump’s meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin this week, with defense officials struggling to explain statements coming out of Moscow that the two leaders reached agreements involving military issues.

Adding to the angst, Defense Secretary James Mattis has kept a low profile amid backlash to Trump’s comments in Europe. While he met with his counterparts there, Mattis remained offstage for the president’s trip and was not in attendance at this week’s Cabinet meeting.

Mattis, a retired Marine Corps general and former NATO commander, has made no secret of his opinion of Russia, telling reporters traveling with him last week that Moscow has chosen to “undermine the fabric of nations that are young in their democratic processes … whether through false news reporting, economic strictures and interventions.”

View the complete article here.

Trump had undisclosed hour-long meeting with Putin at G-20 summit

The following article by Karen DeYoung and Philip Rucker was posted on the Washington Post website July 18, 2017:

Credit:  Don Emmert/Agence France-Presse; Natalia Kolesnikova/Getty Images

After his much-publicized, two-and a quarter-hour meeting early this month with Russian President Vladi­mir Putin at the Group of 20 summit in Germany, President Trump met informally with the Russian leader for an additional hour later the same day.

The second meeting, unreported at the time, took place at a dinner for G-20 leaders, a senior administration official said. Halfway through the meal, Trump left his own seat to occupy a chair next to Putin. Trump was alone, and Putin was attended only by his official interpreter.

The encounter underscores the extent to which Trump was eager throughout the summit to cultivate a friendship with Putin. During last year’s campaign, Trump spoke admiringly of Putin and at times seemed captivated by him. Continue reading “Trump had undisclosed hour-long meeting with Putin at G-20 summit”