Trump talks
if we can diffuse and take some of the drama and quite frankly some of the danger out of the relationship right now,” he told NBC in America.
Worried European leaders were watching closely, concerned the mercurial Mr Trump might be convinced by political hardman Mr Putin to reduce some of the pressure being applied on Russia by NATO.
US officials were also worried that the political newcomer Mr Trump, who has insisted on spending some time alone with Mr Putin, a former KGB spy who has led Russia for 18 years, might give concessions on sanctions.
Fresh from a bombastic round of meetings with NATO leaders and UK Prime Minister Theresa May, Mr Trump and wife Melania arrived in Helsinki on Sunday night and met the Finnish President Sauli Niinisto and his wife Jenni Haukio at their residence.
Mr Putin was flying in from Moscow, where he had watched the World Cup final.
His spokesman Dmitry Pes- kov told Russian state media outlet RT that it was hoped the summit would result in “baby steps’’ towards a better relationship between the countries. Mr Peskov said the two leaders “get along well’’ and there was an opportunity to increase co-operation.
“We hope this will be happy steps towards overcoming the current critical situation in our bilateral relations.,’ he said.
Mr Trump has said that he is going into the meeting with “low expectations’’ but several days ago said “you may come out with something exceptional’’.