U.S.
President Donald Trump pressed Vladimir Putin at their first meeting on Friday
about Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election, U.S. Secretary of
State
Rex Tillerson said.
The Russian
president has denied any meddling in the U.S. democratic process last year and
Moscow has asked for proof that it took place.
Trump
promised a rapprochement with Moscow during his campaign for the presidency
last year. But he has been unable to deliver on that pledge because his
administration has been dogged by investigations into the allegations of
Russian interference in the election and ties between his campaign and Moscow.
Trump says his team did not collude with Russia.
Speaking on
the sidelines of a G20 summit in Hamburg, Tillerson said the two leaders
"had a very robust and lengthy exchange on the subject. The president
pressed President Putin on more than one occasion regarding Russian
involvement".
"The
two leaders agreed that this is a substantial hindrance in the ability of us to
move the Russian-U.S. relationship forward," Tillerson told reporters.
They agreed
to work on commitments of "non-interference in the affairs of the United
States and our democratic process as well as those in other countries", he
added.
The
face-to-face encounter was one of the most eagerly anticipated meetings between
two leaders in years.
Trump and
Putin spoke through translators with their respective foreign ministers present
for six minutes before reporters were allowed into the room for their
statements. Afterwards the reporters were ushered out and the meeting
continued.
"President
Putin and I have been discussing various things, and I think it's going very
well," Trump told reporters, sitting alongside the Russian leader.
"We've
had some very, very good talks. We're going to have a talk now and obviously
that will continue. We look forward to a lot of very positive things happening
for Russia, for the United States and for everybody concerned. And it's an
honor to be with you."
Putin,
through a translator, said: "We spoke over the phone with you several
times," adding: "A phone conversation is never enough."
"I am
delighted to be able to meet you personally, Mr. President," he said,
noting that he hoped the meeting would yield results.
Both men sat
with legs splayed. Trump listened intently as Putin spoke.
The meeting
lasted more than two hours and U.S. first lady Melania Trump came in at one
point to urge them to conclude, Tillerson said.
Before the
meeting, some feared the Republican president, a political novice whose team is
still developing its Russia policy, would be less prepared for the talks than
Putin, a former KGB agent who has dealt with the last two U.S. presidents and
scores of other world leaders.
Amid
criticism of Russia's actions in Ukraine and Syria and the investigations into
its role in the U.S. campaign, Trump has come under growing pressure to take a
hard line against the Kremlin.
On Thursday,
Trump delivered some of his sharpest remarks about Moscow since becoming
president, urging Russia to stop its "destabilizing activities" and
end its support for Syria and Iran.
But Trump
stopped short on Thursday of any personal criticism of Putin and declined to
say definitively whether he believed U.S. intelligence officials' assertion
that Russia had interfered in the 2016 U.S. election.
"I
think it was Russia but I think it was probably other people and/or countries,
and I see nothing wrong with that statement. Nobody really knows. Nobody really
knows for sure,” Trump said on a visit to Poland.
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