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| FILE PHOTO: U.S. President Donald Trump and Russia’s President Vladimir Putin shake hands during a joint news conference after their meeting in Helsinki, Finland, July 16, 2018. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque/File Photo |
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Tuesday he may cancel his scheduled meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the G20 summit in Argentina because of Russiaโs maritime clash with Ukraine.
In an interview with the Washington Post, Trump said he was awaiting a โfull reportโ from his national security team Tuesday evening about Russiaโs capture of three Ukrainian naval ships and their crews on Sunday.
โThat will be very determinative,โ Trump told the Post. โMaybe I wonโt have the meeting. Maybe I wonโt even have the meeting โฆ I donโt like that aggression. I donโt want that aggression at all,โ he said.
Trump is due to meet Putin on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Buenos Aires, which convenes on Friday and Saturday. The Trump-Putin meeting will cover security issues, arms control, and issues in the Middle East and Ukraine, White House national security John Bolton told reporters.
Russia opened fire on the Ukrainian boats and then seized them and their crews on Sunday near Crimea, which Russia annexed from Ukraine in 2014. Moscow and Kiev have tried to pin the blame on each other for the incident.
The U.S. State Department urged European nations on Tuesday to do more to assist Ukraine in its standoff with Russia.
