The first day of the G20 Summit ended in Hamburg, Germany. Russian President Vladimir Putin held talks with leaders from China, India, the European Union, and the United States. A separate meeting was held between the leaders of the BRICS countries (Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa). Putin went on to meet with Donald Trump. The G20 summit members did not support President Trump on topics relating to environmental security and free trade.
Between BRICS and Washington
The Russian leader negotiated with China, India and South Africa first, while the meeting with Trump was scheduled later in the evening.
On the eve of the summit, relations between Washington and Beijing deteriorated. On July 7, when Chinese President Xi Jinping arrived in Hamburg, US Air Force planes flew over the waters of the South China Sea, which Beijing regards as its sovereign waters. The demonstration of the power that President Trump decided to show during the summit pushed Beijing and Moscow together. Trump also aggravated relations with Russia, calling them a "destabilizing" force during his speech in Warsaw.
North Korea was criticized at the summit
Chinese and American relations have improved somewhat on account of facing North Korea. At the summit, Vladimir Putin held talks with South Korean President Moon Jae-in, who invited Putin to visit Seoul and promised to come to Vladivostok.
The meeting of the two leaders hinted at possible future cooperation between the two nations in addressing North Korea. Washington has not ruled out another scenario: a military operation against Pyongyang amid continuous ICBM tests.
Trump held his own meetings
President Trump held talks with world leaders, including Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto.
The American leader confirmed the plan to build a wall between the two countries. Trump remains convinced that Mexico should pay for the project.
Trump's talks with Merkel did not seem to bear fruit. The German Chancellor and President Trump shook hands, correcting the curious incident that took place during a meeting at the White House in March when Trump did not shake the German Chancellor's hand.
This time, both politicians seemed a bit more cordial toward one another, however, the parties were still unable to come to an agreement on the amount that should be spent on military expenditures in regard to NATO and its operations.
