--- title: G20 Summit: Donald Trump, Vladimir Putin Have First Meeting description: All eyes were on Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin on Friday for their first face-to-face meeting. Here's what a body language expert saw. canonical: https://time.com/4849232/g20-summit-donald-trump-vladimir-putin-body-language/ author: Katie Reilly article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2017-07-07T18:41:10.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T07:54:12.118Z article:section: Politics og:title: President Trump Met Vladimir Putin. Here's What a Body Language Expert Saw og:description: "It means, ‘I support you, I really support you.'" og:url: https://time.com/4849232/g20-summit-donald-trump-vladimir-putin-body-language/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltaa7f8999e10c3187/6988d4e7656a3f3b83bd0bdb/trump-putin-body-language.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 3176 og:image:height: 1787 og:image:alt: Vladimir Putin, Donald Trump og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: President Trump Met Vladimir Putin. Here's What a Body Language Expert Saw twitter:description: "It means, ‘I support you, I really support you.'" twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltaa7f8999e10c3187/6988d4e7656a3f3b83bd0bdb/trump-putin-body-language.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # President Trump Met Vladimir Putin For the First Time. Here's What a Body Language Expert Saw > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: August 2026. ## TIME D.C. Brief: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition D.C. Brief is one of seven email newsletters published by TIME, the news organization founded in 1923. Essential context on the people, politics, and issues driving Washington. D.C. Brief goes beyond the Washington headlines to explain the politics, personalities and power dynamics shaping what happens next. Senior correspondent Philip Elliott brings sharp context to the issues driving the capital, connecting the decisions made in Washington to the institutions, industries and people they affect. 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Brief is TIME's Washington newsletter, written by senior correspondent Philip Elliott. It explains the politics, personalities and power dynamics behind the headlines, three times a week. It reaches 85,000 subscribers with a 37.0% open rate as of August 2026. #### Where can I get analysis of Washington politics by email? D.C. Brief is TIME's free Washington politics newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. It is written by a TIME senior correspondent who covers the capital full time. #### Who writes TIME's D.C. Brief? Philip Elliott, a senior correspondent at TIME, writes D.C. Brief. #### Is D.C. Brief free? Yes. D.C. Brief is free at time.com/newsletters. ## Video: President Trump Meets with President Vladimir Putin for the First Time [Watch (HLS stream): President Trump Meets with President Vladimir Putin for the First Time](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/oymS0c6P.m3u8) (2:23)  _Published 2017-07-07. President Trump met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in their first ever one-on-one meeting at the G20 Summit in Hamburg, Germany._  by [Katie Reilly](https://time.com/author/katie-reilly/)  ## Katie Reilly Jul 7, 2017 6:41 PM UTC  President Donald Trump, right, and Russian President Vladimir Putin shake hands during the G20 summit in Hamburg Germany on July 7, 2017. President Donald Trump, right, and Russian President Vladimir Putin shake hands during the G20 summit in Hamburg Germany on July 7, 2017. Marcellus Stein—AP  by [Katie Reilly](https://time.com/author/katie-reilly/)  ## Katie Reilly Jul 7, 2017 6:41 PM UTC All eyes were on U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday when they sat down for their [first face-to-face meeting](http://time.com/4844388/trump-putin-meeting-g20/?xid=homepage) on the sidelines of the G20 Summit. The meeting, which had been scheduled to last 30 minutes, stretched to more than two hours. Trump reportedly [raised](http://time.com/4849511/g20-summit-donald-trump-vladimir-putin-russia-election-meddling/?xid=homepage) the issue of Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. election, though Putin [denied](http://time.com/4849511/g20-summit-donald-trump-vladimir-putin-russia-election-meddling/?xid=homepage) any meddling on Moscow’s part. The two leaders’ conversation included discussions on “Ukraine, Syria, some bilateral and other issues,” [according](http://time.com/4849511/g20-summit-donald-trump-vladimir-putin-russia-election-meddling/?xid=homepage) to the Associated Press. They also discussed “fighting terrorism and cybersecurity.” Trump and Putin gave brief public remarks before their meeting. “We look forward to a lot of [very positive things](http://time.com/4849137/g20-summit-donald-trump-vladimir-putin-meeting-positive-things/?xid=homepage) happening for Russia, for the United States and for everybody concerned,” Trump said. “And it’s an honor to be with you.” “I’m delighted to be able to meet you personally, Mr. President,” Putin said through an interpreter. “And I hope, as you have said, our meeting will yield positive results.” TIME spoke with [Patti Wood](http://www.pattiwood.net/), a body language expert, to read between the lines. Here are some key takeaways: ## ‘He’s the one that’s initiating’ The first glimpse of Trump and Putin came before their official meeting, when they were [seen shaking hands](http://time.com/4848755/donald-trump-vladimir-putin-handshake-g20/?xid=homepage) in a video shared by German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s cabinet. Wood spotted something unusual in that footage. --- > “” --- By comparison, Wood said Trump’s [handshake with Merkel](http://www.cnn.com/videos/politics/2017/07/06/trump-merkel-handshake-g20-meeting.cnn) on Thursday showed the German leader making the first move. --- > “” --- ## **‘He’s supportive underneath Putin’s arm’** In the same video, Trump taps Putin’s arm with his left hand during their handshake and later pats his back — a gesture that typically indicates support, Wood said. --- > “” --- By comparison, Trump’s handshakes with other world leaders — including his recent [white-knuckle grip](http://time.com/4795491/donald-trump-body-language-nato-summit/) with French President [Emmanuel Macron](http://time.com/4814715/emmanuel-macron-president-donald-trump-assembly/) at the NATO Summit — have drawn attention for being awkward or aggressive. ## **‘His slouch is a little bit more pronounced’** Trump’s behavior during sit-down remarks with Putin before their private meeting resembled his stance in other settings, Wood said. “Trump has a standard seating position in these scenarios, where he has his legs spread apart and he’s doing that particular steeple pose with his hands clasped and pointed between his legs,” she said. “That’s all about manliness.” But she noticed some slight differences on Friday compared to Trump’s previous interactions with leaders, including his post-election meeting with former President Barack Obama in the White House. For example, she said, Trump faced toward Putin during most of their exchange, and he again initiated their handshakes. --- > “” --- ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4849232/g20-summit-donald-trump-vladimir-putin-body-language/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4849232/g20-summit-donald-trump-vladimir-putin-body-language/"},"headline":"President Trump Met Vladimir Putin For the First Time. 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