President Trump canceled his two-hour face-to-face meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the G20 summit in Buenos Aires this week because of Russia's recent aggression against Ukraine, the White House has explained. Still, Trump still had an "informal conversation" with the Russian leader on Saturday. Their topics of discussion are yet to be revealed.
“President Trump and the First Lady had a number of informal conversations with world leaders at the dinner last night, including President Putin,” @PressSec says. By without a formal one-on-one meeting, their conversation will never be dissected like Helsinki — or likely known.
— Jeff Zeleny (@jeffzeleny) December 1, 2018
Russia seized three Ukrainian navy ships in the Kerch Strait on Nov. 25 and detained over two dozen sailors. The two blamed each other for the provocation. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo insists that was the sole reason Trump canceled his meeting with Putin. CNN's Wolf Blitzer wanted to make sure it had nothing to do with Trump's former lawyer Michael Cohen pleading guilty in court and suddenly cooperating with special counsel Robert Mueller in his investigation into Russian collusion. When pressed by Blitzer, Pompeo said "he was there" aboard Air Force One when Trump made the decision, and Mueller was the furthest thing from his mind.
"Russia's behavior deeply inconsistent with international law," Pompeo said. "The president wanted to send a clear, unambiguous message that we find that behavior unacceptable."
D.C., Pompeo added, "makes stuff up." He added that the suggestion Trump canceled the meeting because of Cohen and controversial reports about a Trump Tower project in Moscow are "wholly unfounded."
"This was the right approach," Pompeo concluded. He hinted toward a future meeting with Putin, but insisted that the U.S. first wants the Ukrainian sailors and the ships returned.
Trump had planned to hold a press conference in Argentina Saturday, but announced on Twitter that he was postponing it to honor the passing of former President George H. W. Bush.