After months of trying to make it work long distance, US president Donald Trump finally met Russian president Vladimir Putin face-to-face for the first time Friday. The highly-anticipated tête-à-tête comes amid ongoing investigations into whether Trump’s campaign colluded with Moscow to alter the outcome of last year’s election. But while many might expect fireworks as the two leaders meet, officials say the encounter will be more about the pair getting to know each other.
The gathering takes place on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Hamburg, and the world will be watching to see whether Trump mentions Russia’s interference in the 2016 US election. The two men are also likely to talk about Ukraine, the Paris climate change agreement, and, of course, North Korea.
The event will be scrutinized from all angles, from what is said by the two leaders, to their body language, what they are wearing. Crucially their initial handshake took place in private. “[I expect] an Olympian level of macho posturing between these two leaders,” Derek Chollet, former senior national security official in president Obama’s administration told CNN.
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