US President Donald Trump (3rd R), Secretary of State Rex Tillerson (R), Russian President Vladimir Putin (3rd L) and Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov (L) attend a meeting on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Hamburg, Germany, July 7, 2017. [Photo/Xinhua]

As leaders gathered at a summit hall in Hamburg for a group photo, Trump and Putin stood on opposite sides of the tableau. Putin chatted casually with German Chancellor Angela Merkel before taking his spot for the photo next to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

After the cameras snapped away, Merkel, in the center, dismissed the group with a firm nod of the head.

In the lead-up to the meeting, Trump, during a speech in Warsaw on Thursday, urged Russia to "cease its destabilizing activities in Ukraine and elsewhere and its support for hostile regimes including Syria and Iran, and to instead join the community of responsible nations in our fight against common enemies and in defense of civilization itself".

But much of the focus both in Washington and Moscow will be on whether Trump broaches the issue of Russia's meddling in the election.

During a news conference in Poland on Thursday, Trump again refused to accept the conclusion by multiple US intelligence agencies that Russia had interfered to try to help him win in November.

He said it could have been Russia, but that other countries could have meddled, too.

"Nobody really knows for sure," Trump said.

US lawmakers and investigators continue to look into Russia's interference, along with possible collusion between Trump campaign associates and Russian officials. That puts Trump under intense scrutiny over how he handles the sit-down with Putin.

The list of their meeting would include issues range from Syria, Iran to Ukraine, and the Korean Peninsula.

Ap - Reuters