German Chancellor Angela Merkel and US President Donald Trump will meet ahead of what is shaping up to be one of the most turbulent Group of 20 summits, with sharp divisions between world leaders and protesters warning of violent demonstrations.
The White House says Trump and Merkel will meet privately on Thursday night at a hotel in Hamburg before members of their delegations join the talks.
The threat to global security posed by North Korea's missile launch this week is likely to dominate both the G20 summit on Friday and Saturday in Hamburg and the Merkel-Trump talks in the northern German port city.
It will be their third face-to-face talks since Trump became president in January.
The two have clashed over their views on climate change, defence and Trump's anti-globalisation "America First" policy, and in an interview Wednesday Merkel criticised the US for its focus on protectionism instead of cooperation.
"While we are looking for ways to work together for benefits for everyone, the US administration sees globalisation as a process that is not about win-win situations, but about winners and losers," she told Die Zeit weekly.
Merkel has slammed Trump's decision to pull out of the Paris climate accord, while the US leader has attacked her liberal refugee stance.
The chancellor, who will chair the G20 summit, has attempted to play down expectations of what the meeting is likely to achieve, declaring Wednesday that the leaders will face "difficult negotiations" when they meet in Hamburg.
Merkel also said this week that she stands by her suggestion that Europe can no longer entirely rely on the US. She said Germany and China can work together to help calm world troubles.
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