U.S. President Donald Trump sat down with Vladimir Putin for a long-awaited summit on Monday saying he wanted good relations with Russia, after blaming Washington’s own past “foolishness and stupidity” for the countries’ hostile ties.
“I’ve been saying, and I’m sure you’ve heard over the years…that getting along with Russia is a good thing not a bad thing,” Trump said, seated next to Putin at the start of talks in an ornate presidential palace in neutral Finland.
Trump reached out to shake Putin’s hand, before the media were ushered out. The two men were to meet alone apart from interpreters before a working lunch with aides. Trump said they would talk about a range of subjects, listing trade, the military, nuclear weapons and China.
