Helsinki: Donald Trump terms one-on-one meeting with Vladimir Putin as a ‘good start’

In his remarks before the meeting, while Trump was seen as hopeful about the meeting's outcome, Putin resonated the 'problem areas of the world. "The time has come to talk in a substantive way about our relations and problem areas of the world," the Russian President said.

By: Express Web Desk | New Delhi | Updated: July 16, 2018 7:38:50 pm

Donald Trump terms one-on-one meeting with Vladimir Putin as a 'good start'

US President Donald Trump and U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, left, attend a working lunch with Russian President Vladimir Putin, third from right, during their meeting at the Presidential Palace in Helsinki, Finland. (AP Photo)

The long-awaited meeting between US President Donald Trump and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin took place in Helsinki. Before the ‘one on one meeting’, the US president said that getting along with Russia would be a ‘good thing, not a bad thing’. In his initial interaction with Putin, Trump congratulated him for hosting ‘a very great world cup’ which the US President described as ‘one of the best ever’.

“We have a lot of good things to talk about. We have discussions on everything from trade to military to missiles to nuclear to China. We will be talking a little bit about China, our mutual friend, President Xi,” Trump was quoted as saying by ANI.

1m 1s

Trump arrives in Helsinki for Putin summit amidst protests

US president Donald Trump has arrived in Helsinki for a summit with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, amid protests in the Finnish capital. Protesters called on the two leaders to respect human rights and to ban nuclear weapons.

While Trump was seen as hopeful about the meeting’s outcome, Putin talked about the ‘problem areas of the world’. “The time has come to talk in a substantive way about our relations and problem areas of the world,” the Russian President was quoted as saying by AFP.

US President Donald Trump meets with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Helsinki. The meeting between the leaders of the two superpowers comes five days after the conclusion of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) summit in Brussels. (Photo: Reuters)

The meeting between the leaders of the two superpowers comes five days after the conclusion of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) summit in Brussels. In his complaints against other NATO members, Trump urged the member countries to contribute greater funds for the expenditure of the military alliance formed in 1949 to contain the perceived threat of the erstwhile Soviet Union.

“Many countries are not paying what they should. And, frankly, many countries owe us a tremendous amount of money for many years back, where they’re delinquent, as far as I’m concerned, because the United States has had to pay for them,” Trump was quoted as saying during the summit.

For all the latest World News, download Indian Express App