Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump have finally sat down for their summit meeting after the Russian president landed in the Finnish capital Helsinki half an hour behind schedule.
In turn, Trump arrived late to Helsinki’s presidential palace for his meeting with Putin.
Putin’s plane touched down 30 minutes later than planned, pushing back the start of his one-on-one talks with Trump.
In the past, Putin was late for meetings with Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II and Pope Francis, among many others.
In 2014, he was hours late for a meeting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, after his previous stop in Serbia lasted longer than scheduled.
Trump and Putin are meeting amid fraying Western alliances and developments in the investigation into Russian meddling in the US presidential election.
Kicking off the summit Trump said to Putin: ‘I really think the world wants to see us get along.’
The American president said their two countries have ‘great opportunities’, given that they have not been getting along over the past few years. He said he thinks they can have an ‘extraordinary relationship’.
Mr Trump added their discussions will involve trade, the military, missiles, nuclear weapons and China, including their ‘mutual friend’, Chinese president Xi Jingping.
He did not mention Russia’s meddling in the US election.
The two leaders were seated together in a room adorned by American and Russian flags at the Finnish Presidential Palace, separated by a small table.
The summit is being closely watched on both sides of the Atlantic, coming days after the US justice department indicted 12 Russian military intelligence officers for their role in hacking Democrats during the 2016 presidential campaign.
Mr Trump said he hopes for better relations with the Russian leader. He faces bipartisan scepticism in Washington that his desire for warming ties is displacing concerns over Russia’s annexation of Crimea and other destabilising actions.
Earlier, the American president blamed the United States, not Russian election meddling, for the current low point in US-Russia relations.
‘Our relationship with Russia has NEVER been worse,’ Mr Trump tweeted, blaming ‘many years of U.S. foolishness and stupidity and now, the Rigged Witch Hunt!’
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