Russian authorities said Friday that Vladimir Putin will have a brief meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump during the G-20 summit in Buenos Aires, Argentina, reports VOA News.
There is no scheduled pull-aside, was the only response from a White House official when queried about a Kremlin spokesman saying there would be an impromptu meeting on the G-20 sidelines. The U.S. comment, however, leaves open the possibility there could, indeed, be an unscheduled encounter.
On Thursday, President Trump said he was canceling his scheduled meeting with the Russian leader following Russia’s seizure of three Ukrainian vessels and their crews in the Black Sea Region.
“Based on the fact that the ships and sailors have not been returned to Ukraine from Russia, I have decided it would be best for all parties concerned to cancel my previously scheduled meeting in Argentina…,” Trump tweeted on Air Force One on his way to Buenos Aires on Thursday.
The announced cancellation also came hours after U.S. prosecutors revealed that President Trump’s former lawyer, Michael Cohen, admitted lying to Congress about a Trump real estate deal in Russia. The revelation signaled the special counsel is focusing more closely on then-presidential candidate Trump’s communications with Russian officials during the 2016 presidential campaign.