President Donald Trump and his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, spoke for a second time on July 7 following their two-hour-long bilateral meeting earlier that day.
“There was a couples-only social dinner at the G20. Toward the end, the President spoke to Putin at the dinner,” National Security Council spokesman Michael Anton told CNN Tuesday.
“No staff or Cabinet were at the dinner at all, for any of the countries,” with the exception of translators, Anton said.
Trump and Putin did not go to a separate room for their conversation, but remained in the main room where the dinner was being hosted, Anton said.
Anton declined to provide details on the Trump-Putin conversation, citing the fact that no staff were present.
Ian Bremmer, president of the Eurasia Group think tank, first reported that Trump and Putin had the previously undisclsoed conversation.
Trump and Putin sat at opposite ends of a long table at the G20 dinner. Putin was seated next to first lady Melania Trump during the dinner, with a translator between them.