HAMBURG, Germany — A lean in, smiles, a pat on the arm.

This was the first face-to-face encounter of President Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, captured behind the scenes of the Group of 20 summit by the shaky hands of an official German videographer.

As world leaders socialized and made small talk ahead of the first meetings of what is already a contentious summit, it was Trump who approached Putin, who stood with his back against a wooden room divider.

Trump strode up, arm extended wide, as Putin held his arm closer, upper arm remaining close to his chest. To Putin’s left, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe stood chuckling, perhaps amused to be privy to the initial encounter.

Trump and Putin locked hands, pumping slightly, as the U.S. leader brought his other arm up to pat Putin a few times on the forearm. Putin raised his left hand to make a point. It wasn’t clear what the two leaders were talking about. Putin’s English is not fluent, and there were no translators in the room. Trump does not speak Russian or German, Putin’s two languages.

Later, the two men stood about three feet from each other at a cocktail table, smiling broadly. Trump gave Putin some friendly back pats.

It was unclear whether Trump realized that the images of the backstage meeting would be made public. The video was released by the German government shortly after the encounter.

When Trump met Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in the Oval Office in May, the White House barred American photographers from the encounter but allowed in a Russian photographer whom they had been told was Lavrov’s official accompaniment. They were blindsided when the TASS state-owned news agency published the chummy photos.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Trump and Putin had exchanged pleasantries and said “they’d see each other later.”

In two tweets earlier Friday, Trump said he was looking forward to the 35-minute meeting, saying: “I will represent our country well and fight for its interests!”

The interaction was more fluid than that of Putin and British Prime Minister Theresa May, who leaned awkwardly toward the Russian leader for a quick handclasp across the table.

But the prize for friendliness might go to French President Emmanuel Macron and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who resumed a bromance first sparked in May at the Group of 7 summit with a warm hug, then some cocktail chatter. Both men are fluent in English and French.

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