US ties on mend after talk — Putin

RUSSIAN President Vladimir Putin hailed his first face-toface meeting with US President Donald Trump, saying he thinks Mr Trump accepted his assurances Russia did not meddle in the US presidential election and that their conversation could be a model for improving ties.

Speaking after the two-day Group of 20 summit in Germany e nded, Mr Putin said he and Mr Trump had a long talk about allegations of Russian interference in last year’s election that have dogged Mr Trump’s presidency.

The Russian leader said he reiterated his “well-known” position “there are no grounds” for the allegations.

“He asked many questions on the subject, I tried to answer them all,” he said. “It seems to me that he has taken note of that and agreed.”

Mr Putin would not reveal details of the exchange, saying they were confidential.

“He asked questions, I replied. It seemed to me that he was satisfied with the answers,” he said.

The Russian president said a working group on cybersecurity he and Mr Trump agreed to create should help prevent such controversies in future.

“What is important is that we agreed that there should be no uncertainty in that sphere,” he said.

Mr Putin also praised Mr Trump as a strong negotiator who quickly grasped issues.

“As for relations on personal level, I believe we have established them,” he said. “Trump’s TV persona differs sharply from the real man. He is a very straightforward person, grasps precisely what his interlocutor says, quickly analyses and responds to questions or new elements of the discussion.”

The Russian leader said his talks with Mr Trump offered a model for rebuilding RussiaUS ties.

“I think that if we develop our relations in the same way, there is every reason to believe we would be able to at least partially restore the level of interaction we need,” he said.