Putin, Trump meet for the first time, shake hands at G20 summit

Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump have shaken hands for the first time today during their most highly anticipated first face-to-face encounter on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Hamburg.

"They shook each other's hand and said that they would soon hold a separate meeting, would soon see each other," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told a conference call with reporters.

The veteran businessman and the former spy are due to hold detailed one-on-one talks on the sidelines of the summit later on Friday.

President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin greet each other at the G 20 summit in Germany.

Trump has said he wants to find ways to work with Putin, a goal made more difficult by sharp differences over Russia’s actions in Syria and Ukraine, and allegations Moscow meddled in the 2016 U.S. presidential election.  

The Kremlin said the two enjoyed a passing handshake at the summit ahead of the talks later in the day.

I look forward to all meetings today with world leaders, including my meeting with Vladimir Putin. Much to discuss,” Trump wrote in a tweet today. “I will represent our country well and fight for its interests!