DONALD Trump said it was an “honour” to meet his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin yesterday, as the two men came face to face for the first time ... assuming Trump’s boasts of previous meetings were untrue.

The two presidents were supposed to meet for just 30 minutes, but the private meeting – with just Trump, Putin, their foreign secretaries and two translators – lasted closer to two-and-a-half hours.

“There was so much to talk about,” said Secretary of State Rex W Tillerson. “Neither one of them wanted to stop.” He added that at one point, White House aides sent in first lady Melania Trump to try to get the talks wrapped up, but the meeting went on for another hour after that, “so clearly she failed.”

Tillerson also claimed the two men had talked about Russian meddling in last year’s US election.

“He began by raising the concern of the American people of Russian interference in the 2016 election,” he said. “He pressed him more than once.”

Putin denied involvement, Tillerson added.

The CIA, the National Security Agency, the FBI and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence have all comprehensively accused Russia of fiddling in the election, to help Trump beat Hilary Clinton.

They say hackers working for the Russian government, on the orders of Putin, accessed the computer system of Clinton’s party colleagues, stealing files and email and chats, and leaking them through Julian Assange’s Wikileaks.

There are numerous investigations in Washington over the meddling, and the possible connections between Trump’s campaign team and Russian officials.

According to Russian state broadcaster Sputnik, when Putin was asked what the two men discuss he replied that they had a long discussion about “cybersecurity.”

There was, however, also agreement between the two on a ceasefire in a limited area of south-western Syria beginning on Sunday.

The move is the latest effort between the two superpowers to facilitate an agreement to end the six-year civil war there.

Trump administration officials said the two had discussed the idea of partnering to establish “safe zones” in Syria.

Before the two talked, they sat in chairs, posing for photographs, with Putin sitting back in his chair while Trump reached over, hand out, as journalists shouted out questions.

“President Putin and I have been discussing various things, and I think it’s going very well,” Trump said. “We look forward to a lot of very positive happenings for Russia and for the United States, and for everyone concerned.”

“It’s an honour to be with you,” Trump told Putin.

The Russian leader responded: “I’m delighted to meet you personally.”

“Putin and I have been discussing various things, and I think it’s going very well,” Trump told the reporters.

Putin then moved over to Trump and pointed towards the press pack, “These are the ones who insulted you?” he said.

Trump’s answer was lost.

It’s not entirely clear if yesterday was the first time Trump and Putin have met.

Over the past few years, Trump – who has business interests in Russia and as recently as 2013 claimed to have made a $12m profit from a Miss Universe pageant in Moscow – has variously claimed to have either met Putin or to have never met him.

In 2013 he told David Letterman: “He’s a tough guy. I met him once.”

In 2015 when a talk-radio host asked if he’d Putin, he replied: “Yes. One time, yes. Long time ago.” He added: “Got along with him great, by the way.”

And in November 2015 Trump said he got to know Putin “very well” during a joint television appearance on 60 Minutes. Trump’s segment had been taped in New York, Putin’s in Russia.

But then in July 2016, at height of the election campaign, Trump told reporters: “I never met Putin, I don’t know who Putin is.”

Later than month, when pressed by an interviewer he replied: “I don’t think I’ve ever met him. I mean if he’s in the same room or something. But I don’t think so.”

Putin, meanwhile, has denied meeting Trump, telling Megyn Kelly on NBC in June: “There was a time when he used to come to Moscow. But you know, I never met with him.”