Trump and Putin meet one-on-one in Helsinki, Finland
Posted By: Channel 8 Eyewitness News
8@klkntv.com
Courtesy ABC News
President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin met and shook hands Monday to kick off a long-anticipated summit on neutral ground in Finland in a final –- and crucial -– stop on the president’s chaotic week-long diplomatic tour through Europe.
The two leaders walked into a room in the Presidential Palace in Helsinki quietly. Against the backdrop of six American and Russian flags, the silence was broken when President Trump congratulated Putin on hosting the World Cup.
"I’d like to congratulate you on a really great World Cup, one of the best ever," Trump said. "And for also your team doing so well.
"It was beautifully done," he added, saying he watched the finals.
Trump said he’ll be talking about trade, military and China.
He said among the major topics will be repairing the deteriorating relationship between the two countries.
"We’ve been not getting along for the past years," Trump said. "We’ll have an extraordinary relationship.
"And I really think the world wants to see us and get along," the U.S. president added. "We are the two great nuclear powers. It’s not a good thing, its a bad thing. So we’ll be talking about that among other things."
Trump did not make any mention of the election meddling, Syria, or the annexation of Crimea in his brief remarks.
Putin, who is known to keep world leaders waiting, arrived almost 30 minutes late in Helsinki for the summit with Trump.
After the remarks, the two leaders briefly shook hands.
Now, they’ll have a 90-minute, bilateral meeting with advisers, followed by a press conference.
Stay tuned to Channel 8 Eyewitness News throughout the day for live ABC reports.
