Melania Trump pictured laughing with Russian President Vladimir Putin at G20 dinner
First lady speaks several languages including German
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Melania Trump was seen laughing beside Vladimir Putin at a G20 dinner in Germany, hours after the Russian leader met her husband for the first time.
The first lady was seated next to Mr Putin at the official dinner at the Elbphilharmonie Concert Hall in Hamburg after she was sent in to end the meeting between the Kremlin leader and the US President when it overran.
Mr Trump spent two and a half hours speaking with Mr Putin ahead of the dinner, in which couples were separated and not seated with their spouses.
Ms Trump, who grew up in Slovenia, may have been seated next to the Russian leader due to her knowledge of several languages, including German which Mr Putin also speaks.
Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said Ms Trump was sent in to the meeting earlier in the day between the US and Russian leaders, which was meant to last just 30 minutes, to "see if she could get us out of there."
But he said the meeting lasted another hour after the visit, joking that "clearly she failed."
Allegations of Russian collusion in the 2016 US Presidential election have plagued Mr Trump since his inauguration.
Mr Tillerson said the meeting was "very constructive", adding that "there was so much to talk about" that neither leader "wanted to stop."
It comes after anti-globalisation protesters stopped Ms Trump from joining the spouses of world leaders attending the summit.
Ms Trump's spokeswoman, Stephanie Grisham, said last night Hamburg police hadn't cleared the first lady to leave the government guest house where she and Mr Trump spent the night because of the protesters.
Additional reporting by agencies
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments