TRUMP: ‘WORLD WANTS US TO GET ALONG’
US President Donald Trump said he had “a lot of good things to talk about” when he met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Helsinki last night.
The two presidents met just after 2pm local time (9pm AEST), sharing a handshake and smile for the cameras before beginning their talks.
“We have discussions about trade, to military, to missiles, to nuclear, to China… our mutual friend President Xi,’’ President Trump said.
“We have great opportunities together as two countries that frankly, we have not been getting along very well for the last number of years.
“I think we will end up having an extraordinary relationship. I hope so. I have been saying ... that getting along with Russia is a good thing not a bad thing.
“I really think the world wants to see us get along.
“We are the world’s two great nuclear powers. We have 90 per cent of the nuclear and that’s not a good thing, it’s a bad thing.
“I think we can hopefully, we can do something about that. It’s not a positive force, it’s a negative force.’’
The summit started an hour late after Mr Putin touched down in Helsinki from Moscow about 1.05pm.
His armoured limousine, part of a 23-car motorcade, drove into a white marquee and he was shielded with a security curtain as he entered the Presidential Palace.
Mr Trump and wife Melania arrived from their hotel 20 minutes later in a 34-car motorcade, Mr Trump’s armoured Cadillac known as the Beast driving into the same security marquee before the pair entered the building.