Trump and Putin at G20: meeting for the first time

Donald Trump has met Vladimir Putin face-to-face for the first time, with images showing the two leaders sharing a warm handshake.

The meeting took place during the G20 summit in Hamburg, Germany. While the US and Russian presidents have previously spoken on the phone, they have never before met in person.

Footage released by the German government shows the pair smiling and shaking hands, before Mr Trump gives the Russian premier a friendly pat on the arm.

The two leaders will hold a longer meeting later in the day, which Russian media reports is scheduled to last one hour. Rex Tillerson, the US Secretary of State, and Sergei Lavrov, Russia's Foreign Minister, are also likely to be present for the talks.

Issues likely to be discussed include the ongoing conflict in Syria, the threat posed by North Korea and climate change.

Mr Trump and Mr Putin have taken different positions on a range of international issues. Russia is a strong supporter of Syrian president Bashar al-Assad, while the US is backing rebel opposition groups in Syria.

And Mr Putin has urged action to tackle climate change, whereas Donald Trump pulled the US out of the Paris Agreement that seeks to reduce CO2 emissions.

The US President used a speech in Warsaw, Poland, earlier in the week to urge Russia to stop "destabilising" Europe and instead "join the fight against common enemies and in defence of civilisation itself".

At home, Mr Trump is facing a host of inquiries into his alleged links with Russia. A special prosecutor, the FBI and several congressional committees are all investigating whether the businessman and his campaign team colluded with Moscow in order to influence the outcome of last year's US presidential election.

The start of the G20 summit, which runs from Friday to Sunday, was marred by violent protests in Hamburg. Protestors set fire to cars and threw rocks at the windows of banks and shops.

Mr Trump's wife, Melania, was reportedly unable to leave her hotel while German's Finance Minister, Wolfgang Schauble, was forced to cancel an event due to security fears.