Donald Trump to finally meet Vladimir Putin at G20 Summit in Hamburg

Encounter between American political novice and experienced ex-KGB agent comes amid hacking investigation and tensions over Syria

Russian President Vladimir Putin, who is due to meet Donald Trump at the G20 summit in Hamburg on 7 July (REUTERS)

Donald Trump will meet Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday, it has been reported.

The US leader will encounter his opposite number on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Hamburg, Germany.

The Interfax news agency cited a Kremlin official as having confirmed the meeting.

Allegations of Russian meddling in last year's US elections have alarmed both Republican and Democratic politicians there, who want to extend tough sanctions placed on Russia following its 2014 annexation of Crimea, a peninsula belonging to Ukraine.

The European Union has already extended its sanctions until January next year.

The US intelligence community has concluded Russia sponsored hacking of Democratic Party groups last year to benefit Mr Trump over his opponent Hillary Clinton.

Russia has denied those allegations while Mr Trump has repeatedly dismissed the idea of any coordination between his campaign and Russia as a “witch hunt.”

The planned encounter will come as the investigation into alleged ties between Russian operatives and the Trump election campaign remains high on the news agenda.

And tensions over both countries' interventions in Syria have led to a deterioration in their relationship.

Mr Putin is currently meeting his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping. The Russian leader said the talks would focus on economics and international issues.