Lavrov Respects Trump's 'Courage' in Dealing With Attacks Over Talks With Putin

The bravery of US President Donald Trump in dealing with attacks regarding his meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin deserves respect, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) – Putin and Trump held their first official meeting, which ran over two hours despite being scheduled to last half an hour, on July 7, on the sidelines of the G20 summit.

Following the meeting, local media reports emerged that the Russian and US presidents held a second, undisclosed discussion over dinner at the summit in Hamburg, about an hour long, in the presence of only a Kremlin-provided interpreter. Both Moscow and the White House denied the reports of the undisclosed meeting.

Trump slammed the reports of the secret meeting with Putin as "sick."

"I read the tweet of President Trump and I believe the courage with which he withstands this unbelievable test really does deserve respect," Lavrov told the NBC network.