Trump and Putin to hold first meeting next wee

Both the Kremlin and the White House announced on Thursday that the pair will meet on the sidelines of the July 7-8 summit of G20 nations in Hamburg.

Trump’s national security adviser HR McMaster downplayed the significance of the meeting, one of nine such side meetings for the US president over two days.

The meeting will be fraught with difficulties for Trump.

Allegations that Russia interfered in the US presidential election last year and colluded with the Republican’s campaign have overshadowed the businessman’s unexpected victory and dogged his first five months in office.

Syria friction

Trump raised Russian hackles this week when the White House said it appeared the Syrian military was preparing to conduct a chemical weapons attack and warned that Assad and his forces would “pay a heavy price” if it did so.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov warned on Wednesday that Moscow would respond proportionately if the United States took measures against Syrian government forces.

But Lavrov added that it would “probably not be right” if Putin and Trump did not talk at the G20 summit of world economic powers.