Trump meeting with Putin at G20 summit in Japan

President Trump is meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in Osaka, Japan. The meeting began at 2 p.m. local time, which is 1 a.m. EDT. The conversation comes amid escalating tensions between the U.S. and Iran.

In the room with the two presidents are various Russian officials and U.S. officials including Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, National Security Advisor John Bolton, acting White House Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney, Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin and Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner.

After both leaders made brief comments, a reporter asked Mr. Trump if he will tell Putin not to have Russia meddle in the 2020 U.S. presidential election.

 “Yes, of course I will,” he responded. “Don’t meddle in the election please,” he added with a wry smirk, gesturing toward Putin.  “Don’t meddle in the election.”

Mr. Trump smiled half-heartedly and shook his head.

He said he has a “very very good” relationship with Putin and said a lot of “positive things” are going to come out of the relationship.

A senior administration official told CBS News negotiating a new arms control agreement with Russia could be a topic of discussion. Mr. Trump told reporters Wednesday that what he talks about with Putin is “none of your business.”

The official described plans to update and expand limits on nuclear weapons as a “high priority,” but that when it comes to Mr. Trump, it is impossible to “pretend to know what is in his mind.” 

Senior administration officials also said Mr. Trump hopes to discuss including China as a party to any new agreement. Beijing has expressed zero interest in such a deal, but these aides told CBS News the president may still raise the issue with Chinese President Xi Jinping. 

Mr. Trump walked with Putin to a group photo of world leaders at the start of the summit, patting him on the back. Prior to their meeting, the president had a joint meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He also met with German Chancellor Angela Merkel and commented on the Democratic debates taking place back in the U.S., saying the first night of the debate “wasn’t very exciting.”

On Tuesday, Mr. Trump threatened the “obliteration” of parts of Iran if it attacks anything belonging to the U.S. Mr. Trump authorized new sanctions against Iran’s supreme leader and a cyberattack on Iran after Iran shot down a U.S. drone last week.

“Iran’s very ignorant and insulting statement, put out today, only shows that they do not understand reality,” Mr. Trump tweeted Tuesday morning. “Any attack by Iran on anything American will be met with great and overwhelming force. In some areas, overwhelming will mean obliteration.”

Mr. Trump has been criticized for his relationship with Putin, which Democrats have characterized as too friendly. The president made headlines when he told ABC News he would probably take a look at information from foreign governments that could hurt his opponents as he seeks re-election.

Special counsel Robert Mueller concluded in his report that Russia interfered in the 2016 election to benefit Mr. Trump’s campaign, although he could not establish that campaign officials conspired with Moscow to influence the election. Mr. Trump has repeatedly expressed doubt about whether Russia interfered in the election and insisted there was no collusion between his campaign and Russia.

In February, Mr. Trump argued that he has been “tougher on Russia than any president” in an interview with “Face the Nation.”

Mr. Trump is also expected to meet with Xi and Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, among other world leaders. A trade deal with China has yet to come to fruition, and Mr. Trump tweeted that he would discuss sanctions with Indian President Narendra Modi, as well.

Margaret Brennan and Kathryn Watson contributed to this report