Russian President Vladimir Putin meets with U.S. President Donald Trump at the G-20 summit in Hamburg, Germany, on Friday. By joining Slate Plus you support our work and get exclusive content. This seemed to be, in some ways then, a serious diplomatic session, or at least as serious as might have been imagined under the strained circumstances. That may be triumph enough for Trump—look for his aides to trumpet the fact—but it’s a low bar at a global forum where American presidents are expected to lead, not merely endure. In an interview for upcoming Russian documentary World Order 2018, the president said he told a white lie boasting about his fishing expeditions. Yet at the same time, Putin’s goals were at once more ambitious and more fully met than Trump’s. But this is a smokescreen given Putin’s failure to acknowledge his past activity—and Trump’s failure to press him on it. When you are talking about fishing, how do you not embellish?" By contrast, Trump came off as able to hold his own in a two-hour-plus meeting with the likes of Putin with, as far as we know, no big gaffes or missteps. Russian President Vladimir Putin has admitted he lied to first lady Melania Trump at the G-20 summit in Hamburg, Germany, last year—about the size of his catch on fishing trips. But Tillerson acknowledged that many details still need to be worked out: whose security forces enforce the ceasefire; whether this cooperation can be extended to other parts of Syria; what its implications are for a joint fight against ISIS, how long Bashar al-Assad remains in charge (Tillerson said Assad must go, while the Russians have other ideas); and whoever rules Damascus, how a peaceful settlement can be forged in this country of multiple civil and ethnic wars. First, Putin emerged as the winner. The conflict in Ukraine was also brought up, but in Tillerson’s account, only to the extent that the United States has appointed, at Russia’s urging, a special envoy to the country, namely Kurt Volker, a career diplomat and former U.S. ambassador to NATO. I haven't done that in a long time. (The photo of Trump extending his hand to shake Putin’s—not the other way around—will be seen back in Russia, and perhaps elsewhere, as a signifier, as will his describing their meeting as “an honor.”) More important still, Putin won shrugged acceptance of his role in skewing an American presidential election and might interpret this as tacit permission to try again the next time—as long as he skews in a direction to Trump’s liking. However, Lavrov told reporters that Trump accepted Putin’s denial. If the leaders discussed sanctions, the disposition of Crimea, or a timetable for the withdrawal of Russian troops from Eastern Ukraine, neither Tillerson nor Lavrov said anything about it. But, of course, as you do on such occasions, I fibbed a little. Dieses Kleinod ist uns auf verschlungenen Pfaden zugesteckt worden. We may never know exactly what was said in the much-anticipated meeting on Friday between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin. The meeting lasted around two hours, one hour of which was after Melania tried to intervene. 361 Likes, 4 Comments - David Schütter (@david.schuetter) on Instagram: “Lied-Schatten #shaddow #schatten #jungle #band #schneekönig #hamburg #zuderei” "I told them about Russia. About fishing. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson told reporters at the time, "It didn't work. "I told them about Kamchatka. Traditionally, Hamburg has been associated with a number of sea shanties, and Low German folk music and Schlager, added by Hamburger Schule rock and pop during the early 1980s, and alternative rock and hip hop during the early 1990s. Putin and Trump were said to have spent much of their 2 ¼–hour meeting talking about, and agreeing on, a ceasefire in southwest Syria. Still, a few observations can be drawn from the reports put out so far. Putin must also have noticed that hours before their meeting, Trump again voiced skepticism not only about the accusation but about the general competence of his intelligence agencies, likening their conclusions about Russian hacking to their 2002 warnings about Iraqi weapons of mass destruction. All contents © 2020 The Slate Group LLC. Formed in 1847, the Packet Company sailed from Hamburg to New York via Southampton. Even though I used to love doing that. If you value our work, please disable your ad blocker. Putin was seated with Trump and Emanuela Mauro, the wife of Italian Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni, at a dinner during the summit. Hamburg-American Packet Company / Hamburg-Amerikanische Packetfarhrt Aktien-Gesellschaft (HAPAG) / Hamburg-American Line / Hamburg-Amerika Linie. See why nearly a quarter of a million subscribers begin their day with the Starting 5. World Order 2018 will air on Russian television this weekend, but it is already available to stream on Solovyov's VK social media page. Tillerson added that the two leaders agreed to create a “framework” for talks on cybersecurity, including a pledge of non-interference in future elections. Melania Trump Wears a Nearly $4000 outfit, Putin's Corruption Crackdown May Be a Pre-Election Show, Melania Liked 'Einstein Visa' Video Bashing Trump, Putin Promises to Protect Russians Indicted by Mueller. You’ve run out of free articles. Russian President Vladimir Putin has admitted he lied to first lady Melania Trump at the G-20 summit in Hamburg, Germany, last year—about the size of his catch on fishing trips. In short, this ceasefire—which, at best, is temporary and covers only one of the many battles, namely between Assad’s regime and a specific U.S.-backed militia—hardly signals that peace is at hand. In Hamburg Thomas delves into the life and work of Johannes Brahms, a composer he feels a great empathy with, and discovers the grave of a little-known poet who inspired a masterpiece of Lied … At a press briefing after the meeting, Tillerson said that Trump did raise—more than once—the charge that Russia interfered in the 2016 election.