US President-elect Donald Trump spoke to Russian President Vladimir Putin over the phone and discussed ending the war in Ukraine amongst many other important topics, a media report said.

Trump, Putin Speak Over Phone, Discuss Ending War In Ukraine: Report

Former US president Donald Trump hailed "genius" Russian leader Vladimir Putin for recognising two breakaway regions of Ukraine and sending in troops as "peacekeepers" to the areas.

While Putin was scorned by US President Joe Biden and other western leaders, Trump was full of praise for his "best friend."

During an interview on a right-wing radio programme, The Clay Travis &amp; Buck Sexton Show, Trump said it was "wonderful," "so smart," and even "genius" for Putin to "declare a large portion of Ukraine as independent."

"I went in yesterday and there was a television screen, and I said: ‘This is genius’," Trump said.

"Putin declares independence for a large portion of Ukraine. Oh, that’s wonderful. "

Also see |&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/watch-russian-president-vladimir-putins-tense-exchange-with-his-spy-chief-over-eastern-ukraine-455611">&nbsp;Vladimir Putin's tense exchange with his spy chief over eastern Ukraine</a>

The ex-president was quick to add that the crisis wouldn’t have escalated under his administration as it is happening now.

So, Putin is now saying, 'It's independent,' to a large section of Ukraine. I said, 'How smart is that?' And he's going to go in and be a peacekeeper. That's the strongest peace force, "Trump said.

"We could use that on our southern border. That's the strongest peace force I've ever seen... Here's a guy who's very savvy... I know him very well. very, very well. "

Also read&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/beginning-an-invasion-us-imposes-fresh-sanctions-against-russia-455521">'Beginning an invasion': US imposes fresh sanctions against Russia</a>

Meanwhile, Biden announced a new set of sanctions on Russia for "beginning" an invasion of Ukraine but said there was still time to avoid war.

Biden on Monday signed an Executive Order that will prohibit all new investment, trade, and financing by U.S. persons to, from, or in the "so-called Donetsk and Luhansk People's Republics".

(With contributions from agencies)

Former US president Donald Trump hailed "genius" Russian leader Vladimir Putin for recognising two breakaway regions of Ukraine and sending in troops as "peacekeepers" to the areas.

Former US president Donald Trump hailed "genius" Russian leader Vladimir Putin for recognising two breakaway regions of Ukraine and sending in troops as "peacekeepers" to the areas. While Putin was scorned by US President Joe Biden and other western leaders, Trump was full of praise for his "best friend." During an interview on a right-wing radio programme, The Clay Travis & Buck Sexton Show, Trump said it was "wonderful," "so smart," and even "genius" for Putin to "declare a large portion of Ukraine as independent." "I went in yesterday and there was a television screen, and I said: ‘This is genius’," Trump said. "Putin declares independence for a large portion of Ukraine. Oh, that’s wonderful. " Also see | Vladimir Putin's tense exchange with his spy chief over eastern Ukraine The ex-president was quick to add that the crisis wouldn’t have escalated under his administration as it is happening now. So, Putin is now saying, 'It's independent,' to a large section of Ukraine. I said, 'How smart is that?' And he's going to go in and be a peacekeeper. That's the strongest peace force, "Trump said. "We could use that on our southern border. That's the strongest peace force I've ever seen... Here's a guy who's very savvy... I know him very well. very, very well. " Also read | 'Beginning an invasion': US imposes fresh sanctions against Russia Meanwhile, Biden announced a new set of sanctions on Russia for "beginning" an invasion of Ukraine but said there was still time to avoid war. Biden on Monday signed an Executive Order that will prohibit all new investment, trade, and financing by U.S. persons to, from, or in the "so-called Donetsk and Luhansk People's Republics". (With contributions from agencies)

Donald Trump praises Putin’s strategy in Ukraine, calls him a ‘genius’   

The United States and Russia issued a presidential joint statement saying there was &quot;no military solution&quot; to the war in Syria after their leaders met briefly on the sidelines of a regional summit in Vietnam.

There had been mixed messages for days from both Moscow and the White House on whether President Donald Trump and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin would hold face-to-face discussions during the APEC summit in Danang.

The statement, issued by officials from both sides, said the two presidents had made progress on Syria, which has been battered by six years of civil war.

The US and Russia have backed competing factions in the bloody conflict, and agreement on the next steps towards peace is rare.

&quot;The presidents agreed that there is no military solution to the conflict in Syria,&quot; the statement said, adding that the two sides &quot;confirmed their determination to defeat ISIS&quot; -- an alternative name for the Islamic State jihadist group.

The statement added that the two sides had agreed to keep military channels open to avoid potential clashes over Syria and urged the warring sides to participate in UN-led peace talks in Geneva.

Russia has run a major bombing campaign in Syria since 2015, when it stepped in to support President Bashar al-Assad&#39;s fight against rebels -- some of them US-backed -- tipping the conflict in his favour.

The Russian military has recently accused the United States of merely &quot;pretending&quot; to fight IS in Iraq and of hindering the Russian-backed offensive in eastern Syria.

But Saturday&#39;s joint statement expressed satisfaction with efforts to prevent incidents between their respective forces in Syria.

&quot;The Presidents affirmed their commitment to Syria&#39;s sovereignty, unity, independence, territorial integrity, and non-sectarian character,&quot; it said.

According to senior State Department officials, the statement was the result of &quot;months of fairly intense discussions&quot; and was finalised on the margins of the APEC summit between diplomats.

It represents Russia&#39;s firm committment to the UN-backed peace process, one of the officials said.

&quot;We made very clear that there will not be any reconstruction aid in Syria until there is a meaningful political process moving along the timeline,&quot; he said.

&quot;I cannot speak to the Russians, but I think it might be one of the reasons why they clearly committed to the fact that the ultimate resolution to the civil war will be under the Geneva process,&quot; he added.

A new round of talks is scheduled to be held in Geneva from November 28, the UN special envoy for Syria announced Thursday.

There have been seven previous sessions between the Syrian regime and the opposition, which failed to overcome the main obstacle -- the fate of President Assad.

Haunted relationship 
 
Trump&#39;s relationship with Moscow has haunted the first year of his presidency, with key former aides under a US investigation for alleged collaboration with the Kremlin.

Putin and Trump last held face-to-face talks at a G20 summit earlier in the year, and there was intense speculation over whether they would so do again in Danang.&nbsp;

After the pair met on the sidelines of the APEC summit, Trump said he believes Putin was sincere when he denied meddling in the US election that propelled Trump to power, adding that the Russian leader felt &quot;very insulted&quot; by the allegations.

Overly amicable talks between Trump and Putin in Vietnam risked being an awkward sell for the White House, as it vigorously denies any undue links with the Kremlin. 
&nbsp;

The US and Russia issued a presidential joint statement saying there was 'no military solution' to the war in Syria after their leaders met briefly on the sidelines of a regional summit in Vietnam

The United States and Russia issued a presidential joint statement saying there was "no military solution" to the war in Syria after their leaders met briefly on the sidelines of a regional summit in Vietnam. There had been mixed messages for days from both Moscow and the White House on whether President Donald Trump and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin would hold face-to-face discussions during the APEC summit in Danang. The statement, issued by officials from both sides, said the two presidents had made progress on Syria, which has been battered by six years of civil war. The US and Russia have backed competing factions in the bloody conflict, and agreement on the next steps towards peace is rare. "The presidents agreed that there is no military solution to the conflict in Syria," the statement said, adding that the two sides "confirmed their determination to defeat ISIS" -- an alternative name for the Islamic State jihadist group. The statement added that the two sides had agreed to keep military channels open to avoid potential clashes over Syria and urged the warring sides to participate in UN-led peace talks in Geneva. Russia has run a major bombing campaign in Syria since 2015, when it stepped in to support President Bashar al-Assad's fight against rebels -- some of them US-backed -- tipping the conflict in his favour. The Russian military has recently accused the United States of merely "pretending" to fight IS in Iraq and of hindering the Russian-backed offensive in eastern Syria. But Saturday's joint statement expressed satisfaction with efforts to prevent incidents between their respective forces in Syria. "The Presidents affirmed their commitment to Syria's sovereignty, unity, independence, territorial integrity, and non-sectarian character," it said. According to senior State Department officials, the statement was the result of "months of fairly intense discussions" and was finalised on the margins of the APEC summit between diplomats. It represents Russia's firm committment to the UN-backed peace process, one of the officials said. "We made very clear that there will not be any reconstruction aid in Syria until there is a meaningful political process moving along the timeline," he said. "I cannot speak to the Russians, but I think it might be one of the reasons why they clearly committed to the fact that the ultimate resolution to the civil war will be under the Geneva process," he added. A new round of talks is scheduled to be held in Geneva from November 28, the UN special envoy for Syria announced Thursday. There have been seven previous sessions between the Syrian regime and the opposition, which failed to overcome the main obstacle -- the fate of President Assad. Haunted relationship Trump's relationship with Moscow has haunted the first year of his presidency, with key former aides under a US investigation for alleged collaboration with the Kremlin. Putin and Trump last held face-to-face talks at a G20 summit earlier in the year, and there was intense speculation over whether they would so do again in Danang. After the pair met on the sidelines of the APEC summit, Trump said he believes Putin was sincere when he denied meddling in the US election that propelled Trump to power, adding that the Russian leader felt "very insulted" by the allegations. Overly amicable talks between Trump and Putin in Vietnam risked being an awkward sell for the White House, as it vigorously denies any undue links with the Kremlin.

Trump, Putin agree 'no military solution' in Syria

US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin held a second, previously undisclosed conversation during a dinner for G20 leaders at a summit earlier this month in Germany, a White House official confirmed on Tuesday.

The two leaders held a formal two-hour bilateral meeting on July 7 in which Trump later said Putin denied allegations that he directed efforts to meddle in the 2016 US presidential election.

The White House official did not say how long the second meeting took place or what was discussed.

The second conversation between Trump and Putin took place during a dinner for the Group of 20 heads of state and their spouses in Hamburg, said Ian Bremmer, the president of political risk consultancy Eurasia Group, who was first to report the meeting in a note to clients.

Television coverage of the dinner showed that first lady Melania Trump was seated next to Putin.

Bremmer said Trump got up from his seat halfway through dinner and spent about an hour talking &quot;privately and animatedly&quot; with Putin, &quot;joined only by Putin&#39;s own translator&quot;.

The lack of a US translator raised eyebrows among other leaders at the dinner, said Bremmer, who called it a &quot;breach of national security protocol&quot;.

Trump is under intense scrutiny by Congress and a special counsel investigating Russian interference into the 2016 presidential election, and probing whether Trump&#39;s campaign had ties to the activity. Trump has denied collusion between his campaign and Moscow. 
&nbsp;

Trump spent about an hour talking 'privately and animatedly' with Putin, 'joined only by Putin's own translator', which raised eyebrows

US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin held a second, previously undisclosed conversation during a dinner for G20 leaders at a summit earlier this month in Germany, a White House official confirmed on Tuesday. The two leaders held a formal two-hour bilateral meeting on July 7 in which Trump later said Putin denied allegations that he directed efforts to meddle in the 2016 US presidential election. The White House official did not say how long the second meeting took place or what was discussed. The second conversation between Trump and Putin took place during a dinner for the Group of 20 heads of state and their spouses in Hamburg, said Ian Bremmer, the president of political risk consultancy Eurasia Group, who was first to report the meeting in a note to clients. Television coverage of the dinner showed that first lady Melania Trump was seated next to Putin. Bremmer said Trump got up from his seat halfway through dinner and spent about an hour talking "privately and animatedly" with Putin, "joined only by Putin's own translator". The lack of a US translator raised eyebrows among other leaders at the dinner, said Bremmer, who called it a "breach of national security protocol". Trump is under intense scrutiny by Congress and a special counsel investigating Russian interference into the 2016 presidential election, and probing whether Trump's campaign had ties to the activity. Trump has denied collusion between his campaign and Moscow.

Trump, Putin held a second, undisclosed meeting at G20: White House

Trump was out of sync with the leaders of Western countries at the G20, but showed a close fondness for Vladimir Putin.&nbsp;

Trump was the only leader of the world&#39;s major economies to reverse&nbsp;his country&#39;s pledge to&nbsp;achieve&nbsp;the climate goals set out in the Paris climate accord, which the 19 other countries called &quot;<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/07/08/world/europe/group-of-20-climate-change-agreement.html" target="_blank">irreversible</a>&quot;.

Trump and Putin said they look forward to working together on cybersecurity, even though multiple US intelligence agencies say Russia launched a broad cyber campaign against the United States&nbsp;to interfere&nbsp;with the 2016 election, with the specific aim to get Trump elected.

Trump emerged from the G20 saying he &quot;accepted&quot; Putin&#39;s claim that Russia did not interfere in the election.&nbsp;

The US president tweeted today (June 9) that Putin &quot;vehemently denied&quot; interfering in the presidential election.

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I strongly pressed President Putin twice about Russian meddling in our election. He vehemently denied it. I&#39;ve already given my opinion.....
&mdash; Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/884012097805406208">July 9, 2017</a></blockquote>
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...We negotiated a ceasefire in parts of Syria which will save lives. Now it is time to move forward in working constructively with Russia!
&mdash; Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/884013689736769536">July 9, 2017</a></blockquote>
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Putin &amp; I discussed forming an impenetrable Cyber Security unit so that election hacking, &amp; many other negative things, will be guarded..
&mdash; Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/884016887692234753">July 9, 2017</a></blockquote>
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...and safe. Questions were asked about why the CIA &amp; FBI had to ask the DNC 13 times for their SERVER, and were rejected, still don&#39;t....
&mdash; Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/884018776391503872">July 9, 2017</a></blockquote>
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This comes even though on June 26, 2017, he posted a Tweet in which he appears to accept that there was in fact Russian meddling in the US election. However, he blamed Obama, not Russia, for it.

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The real story is that President Obama did NOTHING after being informed in August about Russian meddling. With 4 months looking at Russia...
&mdash; Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/879323238425395200">June 26, 2017</a></blockquote>
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&nbsp;

Trump&#39;s position also appeared in contrast to that of Haley&#39;s position who said on Sunday that &quot;everybody knows&quot; Russia meddled in the 2016 elections and now they were trying to &quot;save &nbsp;face&quot;.

Defending Trump, Haley said Trump confronted Russian President Vladimir Putin on the election meddling at the G20

&quot;What I understand is that President Trump let them know that, look, we know you did this (meddled in US elections), and cut it out. And President Putin is never going to admit that they did it. And so they have to come back and they have to defend themselves,&quot; Nikki Haley told CNN.

&quot;This is Russia trying to save face. And they can&#39;t. They can&#39;t. Everybody knows that Russia meddled in our elections. Everybody knows that they&#39;re not just meddling in the United States&#39; election. They&#39;re doing this across multiple continents, and they&#39;re doing this in a way that they&#39;re trying to cause chaos within the countries,&quot; she said.

This comes just as the Washington Post reported that&nbsp;Russian government hackers have penetrated energy and nuclear company business networks.

Trump also made a peace deal with Russia regarding Syria which, as the Daily Beast summarises:&nbsp;Will leave dictator Bashar al-Assad in power, who, this April, Trump said &quot;needed to go&quot; because of his alleged chemical weapons attacks on his own people. The deal will permits the idea of &quot;safe zones&quot; proposed by Russia and its backers, and it depends on cooperation from Moscow, including the use of Russian troops to patrol parts of the country.

Basic Russia-Trump background coming in to G20

Highly anticipated was Trump&#39;s first meeting as president with Vladimit Putin. Media outlets have&nbsp;stated it is their first meeting together, but more precisely it is definitely the first time Trump has met Putin as US president;&nbsp;it is not exactly&nbsp;clear that they have never met.&nbsp;

Donald Trump has given many different accounts of his&nbsp;relationship with Putin, saying &quot;I have never met Putin&quot; on one occassion and &quot;I don&#39;t think I&#39;ve ever met him&quot; on another. He has claimed adamently he &quot;has no relationship with Putin&quot;, and, in 2013, when asked if he has a relationship with Putin said &quot;I do have a relationship&quot;.&nbsp;On&nbsp;one occassion he&nbsp;said &quot;I was in Moscow recently, and I spoke indirectly and directly with President Putin&quot;.

<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/3VjpE3Z1-bw" width="560"></iframe>

There are currently several ongoing investiations into Donald Trump and his administration&#39;s links to Russia.

The <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/CATCH-UP-Where-we-are-and-whats-next-for-all-the-Trump-Russia-investigations/articleshow/59084422.cms" target="_blank">Justice Department</a> has appointed former FBI Director Robert Mueller as special counselor to&nbsp;lead the DOJ investigation into &quot;any links and/or coordination between the Russian government and individuals associated with the campaign of President Donald Trump.&quot;

Mueller is also leading a&nbsp;criminal investigation to see if&nbsp;obstruction of justice, witness intimidation or perjury&nbsp;were committed by anyone involved in his other investigation, including President Trump.

The Senate And House Intelligence Committee is also investigating Trump&#39;s administration&#39;s connection to Russia.

So is the Senate Judiciary and also the House Oversight and Government Reform Committees are also investigating Trump and Russia.

Trump split with US intel by accepting Putin's claim Russia didn't interfere in the US election, then pledged to work with Russia on cybersecurity

Trump was out of sync with the leaders of Western countries at the G20, but showed a close fondness for Vladimir Putin. Trump was the only leader of the world's major economies to reverse his country's pledge to achieve the climate goals set out in the Paris climate accord, which the 19 other countries called "irreversible". Trump and Putin said they look forward to working together on cybersecurity, even though multiple US intelligence agencies say Russia launched a broad cyber campaign against the United States to interfere with the 2016 election, with the specific aim to get Trump elected. Trump emerged from the G20 saying he "accepted" Putin's claim that Russia did not interfere in the election. The US president tweeted today (June 9) that Putin "vehemently denied" interfering in the presidential election. I strongly pressed President Putin twice about Russian meddling in our election. He vehemently denied it. I've already given my opinion..... — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 9, 2017 × ...We negotiated a ceasefire in parts of Syria which will save lives. Now it is time to move forward in working constructively with Russia! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 9, 2017 × Putin & I discussed forming an impenetrable Cyber Security unit so that election hacking, & many other negative things, will be guarded.. — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 9, 2017 × ...and safe. Questions were asked about why the CIA & FBI had to ask the DNC 13 times for their SERVER, and were rejected, still don't.... — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 9, 2017 × This comes even though on June 26, 2017, he posted a Tweet in which he appears to accept that there was in fact Russian meddling in the US election. However, he blamed Obama, not Russia, for it. The real story is that President Obama did NOTHING after being informed in August about Russian meddling. With 4 months looking at Russia... — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 26, 2017 × Trump's position also appeared in contrast to that of Haley's position who said on Sunday that "everybody knows" Russia meddled in the 2016 elections and now they were trying to "save face". Defending Trump, Haley said Trump confronted Russian President Vladimir Putin on the election meddling at the G20 "What I understand is that President Trump let them know that, look, we know you did this (meddled in US elections), and cut it out. And President Putin is never going to admit that they did it. And so they have to come back and they have to defend themselves," Nikki Haley told CNN. "This is Russia trying to save face. And they can't. They can't. Everybody knows that Russia meddled in our elections. Everybody knows that they're not just meddling in the United States' election. They're doing this across multiple continents, and they're doing this in a way that they're trying to cause chaos within the countries," she said. This comes just as the Washington Post reported that Russian government hackers have penetrated energy and nuclear company business networks. Trump also made a peace deal with Russia regarding Syria which, as the Daily Beast summarises: Will leave dictator Bashar al-Assad in power, who, this April, Trump said "needed to go" because of his alleged chemical weapons attacks on his own people. The deal will permits the idea of "safe zones" proposed by Russia and its backers, and it depends on cooperation from Moscow, including the use of Russian troops to patrol parts of the country. Basic Russia-Trump background coming in to G20 Highly anticipated was Trump's first meeting as president with Vladimit Putin. Media outlets have stated it is their first meeting together, but more precisely it is definitely the first time Trump has met Putin as US president; it is not exactly clear that they have never met. Donald Trump has given many different accounts of his relationship with Putin, saying "I have never met Putin" on one occassion and "I don't think I've ever met him" on another. He has claimed adamently he "has no relationship with Putin", and, in 2013, when asked if he has a relationship with Putin said "I do have a relationship". On one occassion he said "I was in Moscow recently, and I spoke indirectly and directly with President Putin". There are currently several ongoing investiations into Donald Trump and his administration's links to Russia. The Justice Department has appointed former FBI Director Robert Mueller as special counselor to lead the DOJ investigation into "any links and/or coordination between the Russian government and individuals associated with the campaign of President Donald Trump." Mueller is also leading a criminal investigation to see if obstruction of justice, witness intimidation or perjury were committed by anyone involved in his other investigation, including President Trump. The Senate And House Intelligence Committee is also investigating Trump's administration's connection to Russia. So is the Senate Judiciary and also the House Oversight and Government Reform Committees are also investigating Trump and Russia.

Trump abandons Western countries at G20, sidles up to Putin

Russia&#39;s&nbsp;President Vladimir Putin is set to meet his US counterpart Donald Trump for the first time in the sidelines of the G20 summit early next month.

The White House said Trump&#39;s main goal would be to end all differences between Russia and the West and &quot;develop a common approach&quot;.

Trump&#39;s National Security Advisor HR McMaster, however, was non-committal as to whether Trump would bring up the matter of Russia&#39;s alleged involvement in last year&#39;s US election.

&quot;It&#39;s whatever the president wants to talk about,&quot; McMaster said.&nbsp;

The G20 summit will be held in Hamburg, Germany, on July 7 and 8.

The duo&#39;s first meeting comes after the west initially were alarmed about the relationship between the two leaders, especially after a cascade of reports suggested that Russia had meddled in the US election to help Trump win.

Trump has long played down reports of Russian meddling, but he seized on recent reports about former president Barack Obama&#39;s cautious reaction to election interference last year to attack Obama for a timorous response.&nbsp;

The two superpowers also face an array of contentious foreign-policy issues, reaching from Syria to Ukraine to North Korea.&nbsp;

Trump has struck a tough tone on Russia&#39;s ally Syria, ordering a missile attack on a military base there in April after it reportedly was used to launch a chemical attack; and warning this week that the government of Bashar al-Assad would &quot;pay a heavy price&quot; if it carried out a new chemical attack.&nbsp;

Washington and Moscow engaged in a further verbal escalation after U.S. fighter jets shot down a Syrian government jet.&nbsp;

Trump&#39;s early warmth toward Putin -- and his blunt criticism of America&#39;s NATO allies for not spending enough on defense -- have rattled many in Europe, and particularly in places like Ukraine and the tiny Baltic countries.

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko met with Trump at the White House on Tuesday in what he himself said was an attempt to &quot;arm&quot; the US president with information ahead of his meeting with Putin.&nbsp;

Russian troops seized Crimea from Ukraine in 2014, and Russia has supported separatist militias in a bloody fight along Ukraine&#39;s eastern border.

Trump and Putin agreed during a phone call in May to work together to defuse tensions with North Korea over its nuclear and missile programs.&nbsp;

It was during that call that the leaders agreed to seek a face-to-face meeting in Hamburg.

(With inputs from AFP)

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

But the two leaders aren't expected to talk about the Russia's probable meddling in last year's US election

Russia's President Vladimir Putin is set to meet his US counterpart Donald Trump for the first time in the sidelines of the G20 summit early next month. The White House said Trump's main goal would be to end all differences between Russia and the West and "develop a common approach". Trump's National Security Advisor HR McMaster, however, was non-committal as to whether Trump would bring up the matter of Russia's alleged involvement in last year's US election. "It's whatever the president wants to talk about," McMaster said. The G20 summit will be held in Hamburg, Germany, on July 7 and 8. The duo's first meeting comes after the west initially were alarmed about the relationship between the two leaders, especially after a cascade of reports suggested that Russia had meddled in the US election to help Trump win. Trump has long played down reports of Russian meddling, but he seized on recent reports about former president Barack Obama's cautious reaction to election interference last year to attack Obama for a timorous response. The two superpowers also face an array of contentious foreign-policy issues, reaching from Syria to Ukraine to North Korea. Trump has struck a tough tone on Russia's ally Syria, ordering a missile attack on a military base there in April after it reportedly was used to launch a chemical attack; and warning this week that the government of Bashar al-Assad would "pay a heavy price" if it carried out a new chemical attack. Washington and Moscow engaged in a further verbal escalation after U.S. fighter jets shot down a Syrian government jet. Trump's early warmth toward Putin -- and his blunt criticism of America's NATO allies for not spending enough on defense -- have rattled many in Europe, and particularly in places like Ukraine and the tiny Baltic countries. Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko met with Trump at the White House on Tuesday in what he himself said was an attempt to "arm" the US president with information ahead of his meeting with Putin. Russian troops seized Crimea from Ukraine in 2014, and Russia has supported separatist militias in a bloody fight along Ukraine's eastern border. Trump and Putin agreed during a phone call in May to work together to defuse tensions with North Korea over its nuclear and missile programs. It was during that call that the leaders agreed to seek a face-to-face meeting in Hamburg. (With inputs from AFP)

Trump to meet Putin in G20 summit amid Russia's influence on US election saga

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