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US President Trump tells Putin: Don't meddle in US elections

US President Trump tells Putin: Don't meddle in US elections

Trump-Putin

US President Donald Trump told Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday not to meddle in the US elections, appearing to make light of a scandal that had led to a two-year investigation into his campaign's contact with the Kremlin during the 2016 elections.

Asked by a reporter whether he would raise the issue during a bilateral meeting with Putin, Trump said: "Yes, of course, I will."

Trump then turned to Putin to give the directive twice while pointing at the Russian leader. Putin maintained a smile as the remark was interpreted for him.

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Trump hailed his "very, very good relationship" with Russia's President Vladimir Putin as the two leaders held talks on the sidelines of the G20 meeting.

"It's a great honour to be with President Putin," said Trump, who last held face-to-face talks with the Russian leader in Helsinki in 2018.

"We have a very, very good relationship," Trump said.

Trump and Putin were heading into a meeting on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Osaka, Japan. It was the first time the two leaders have had a formal face-to-face meeting since a controversial high-profile summit in Helsinki last July.

The keenly awaited meeting between the pair has been overshadowed by a probe into Trump's relations with Russia and the controversy that erupted the last time he held talks with the Kremlin leader.