Helsinki summit: “First step” toward mending US – Russia ties

Appearing at a joint press conference afterwards, Russian President called the talks in Helsinki "very successful and useful" and said he and the US President discussed arms control, the conflicts in Syria and Ukraine, trade, and other issues.

He said that although bilateral relations have been “going through a complicated stage,” there was “no solid reason” for that.

Meanwhile, US President Trump said that he holds “both countries responsible” for the frayed relations between the two nations, adding that the United States has now stepped forward along with Russia. The one-on-one meeting lasted about two hours, longer than anticipated. It was initially scheduled to take 90 minutes.