President Trump called it a “great opportunity” as he and Russian President Vladimir Putin sat down together Monday in Helsinki, Finland.
Mr. Trump said the U.S. and Russia “have not been getting along very well” for years, but he hoped to change that.
“I think we will end up having an extraordinary relationship,” he told Mr. Putin. “I’ve been saying, and I’m sure you’ve been hearing over the years and as I’ve campaigned, that getting along with Russia is a good thing, not a bad thing.”
Mr. Trump also sketched out a framework for one-on-one talk with Mr. Putin. He did not mention election interference, despite indictments last week of 12 Russian military intelligence officers for hacking the 2016 U.S. presidential election.
“We have a lot of good things to talk about,” Mr. Trump said before reporters were ushered out of the room. “We have discussions on everything from trade to military to missiles to nuclear to China.”
Mr. Trump has set low expectations heading into the the summit.
The president also is expected to press Mr. Putin on areas of conflict, from U.S. election meddling to the annexation of Crimea and the wars in Syria and Ukraine.
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