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Trump insisted on meeting with Putin alone to avoid leaks — media

Trump also does not want his aides interrupting in the course of the talks, CNN reported

© Alexei Nikolsky/Russian Presidential Press and Information Office/TASS

NEW YORK, July 16. /TASS/. US President Donald Trump insisted on meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin one-on-one at the beginning of the summit to avoid information leaks, form his own opinion of Putin and build a personal relationship with him. He also does not want his aides interrupting in the course of the talks, US TV channel CNN informed on Monday, citing an unnamed US official.

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Putin-Trump summit gets underway

"Trump has previously expressed anger at leaks coming from his meetings with foreign leaders and told aides he doesn’t want sensitive information leaking from his meeting with Putin," CNN noted.

According to the channel’s sources, Trump doesn’t want aides, who take a harder line on Russia, interrupting him during the conversation with Putin.

Another reason for meeting Putin alone is that Trump wishes to personally assess Putin and develop a leader-to-leader relationship, CNN informed.

Trump and Putin are currently having a one-on-one meeting in Helsinki, Finland. The meeting has been going on for over an hour.

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Vladimir Putin Donald Trump

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