search
Sections List
The American Independent

Russia leaks secret US meeting with Putin to keep Trump in his place

Putin just reminded Trump that he has saved all the receipts from their interactions — and he’s not afraid to use them.

By Caroline Orr - January 29, 2019
Share
Donald Trump, Vladimir Putin

Russian President Vladimir Putin fired a warning shot at Trump this week, strategically dropping compromising information to remind Trump that he has saved all the receipts from their interactions — and he’s not afraid to use them.

Citing a Russian government official, the Financial Times reported Tuesday that Trump met with Putin at last year’s G-20 summit in Buenos Aires, without a translator or anyone from his administration present during the exchange.

The revelation provides the most detailed account to date of Trump and Putin’s interactions during the November summit — and the details don’t line up with the White House’s description of the event.

While Trump and Putin had initially been scheduled to meet at the summit, Trump publicly canceled the meeting amid new revelations about his financial and business ties to Moscow. Trump cited Russia’s increased aggression toward Ukraine as a reason for canceling the meeting just ahead of the annual summit.

The Kremlin pushed back on Trump’s attempt to cancel the meeting, saying Putin would still have a brief, impromptu meeting with Trump at the summit. In response, a White House official told reporters traveling with Trump to the summit that “there is no scheduled pull aside” between the two leaders.

News reports after the event discussed Trump’s interactions with other world leaders attending the summit, but did not mention any meetings with Putin.

And although the White House acknowledged in a statement at the time that Trump and Putin had briefly exchanged words on the sidelines of the summit, the encounter was described as casual and unplanned — just one of “a number of informal conversations with world leaders.”

But according to the new report, the meeting was not so brief, nor was it just a casual conversation.

Speaking to the Financial Times, a Kremlin official said the meeting lasted upwards of 15 minutes and included discussions about substantive issues including the conflict in Syria, as well as Russia’s recent aggression toward Ukraine and seizure of two Ukrainian Navy vessels.

Trump and Putin also discussed potential arrangements for a formal meeting, the Kremlin official said.

Putin clearly had the upper hand during the exchange, as he was accompanied by a translator. Trump, meanwhile, was accompanied by Melania, and no one else.

“The four of them sat at a table and were among the last to leave,” the Financial Times reported.

None of this was disclosed by the White House, and the timing of the leak from the Kremlin comes just as the Russian government is publicly expressing its anger with the Trump administration for its position on recent events in Venezuela.

The revelation that Trump and Putin discussed Syria policy is particularly damning. Less than three weeks after the November meeting, Trump abruptly and unexpectedly announced that he was ordering U.S. troops to withdraw from Syria — a move that stands to greatly benefit Putin, who praised Trump’s decision, which Trump’s own military and intelligence advisers had warned against.

Since Trump was not accompanied by a notetaker or translator, there is no way to know whether Trump’s decision to pull U.S. troops out of Syria was part of a deal he struck with Putin.

The revelation that Trump was not forthcoming about his November meeting with Putin comes just weeks after the Washington Post reported that Trump had withheld details of his previous talks with Putin from top officials in his administration, including confiscating notes from an interpreter who was present during one of the meetings.

Trump has said he has the right to meet in private with world leaders, but this latest disclosure proves why that’s such a dangerous idea — especially when that world leader is Putin.

Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation.


TAI News
Get the latest progressive news here first.

Tai News

Newsletter

Read More
McCarthy says Biden stopped him from cutting Social Security and Medicare

McCarthy says Biden stopped him from cutting Social Security and Medicare

By Emily Singer - June 01, 2023
Biden’s tentative debt limit deal is prioritizing the economy over politics

Biden’s tentative debt limit deal is prioritizing the economy over politics

By Oliver Willis - May 31, 2023
Biden releases national strategy to combat antisemitism

Biden releases national strategy to combat antisemitism

By Oliver Willis - May 26, 2023
216 Republicans vote to undo student loan relief for 43 million Americans

216 Republicans vote to undo student loan relief for 43 million Americans

By Emily Singer - May 25, 2023
Donald Trump says he was ‘very honored’ to help Supreme Court overturn Roe v. Wade

Donald Trump says he was ‘very honored’ to help Supreme Court overturn Roe v. Wade

By Josh Israel - May 11, 2023
Vice President Kamala Harris meets with tech CEOs to discuss AI risks

Vice President Kamala Harris meets with tech CEOs to discuss AI risks

By Associated Press - May 06, 2023
TAI News
Latest
House Republican lawmakers call bipartisan debt deal passage a win for Biden

House Republican lawmakers call bipartisan debt deal passage a win for Biden

By Josh Israel - June 01, 2023
Prominent Colorado abortion provider calls Dobbs decision ‘throwback to another century’

Prominent Colorado abortion provider calls Dobbs decision ‘throwback to another century’

By Rebekah Sager - June 01, 2023
McCarthy says Biden stopped him from cutting Social Security and Medicare

McCarthy says Biden stopped him from cutting Social Security and Medicare

By Emily Singer - June 01, 2023
North Carolina gubernatorial candidate wants public safety funding but voted against it

North Carolina gubernatorial candidate wants public safety funding but voted against it

By Josh Israel - June 01, 2023
Biden’s tentative debt limit deal is prioritizing the economy over politics

Biden’s tentative debt limit deal is prioritizing the economy over politics

By Oliver Willis - May 31, 2023
LGBTQ Voices in Politics: Tiffany Muller

LGBTQ Voices in Politics: Tiffany Muller

By Will Fritz - May 31, 2023
Close
TAI News
Get the latest progressive news here first.

Tai News

Newsletter