On Monday, Putin and Trump held their first ever full-fledged meeting in Helsinki's presidential palace. The two leaders discussed numerous issues of mutual interest, as well as some international and regional problems.
"The meeting between President Putin and myself was a great success, except in the Fake News Media!" Trump wrote Tuesday on Twitter.
The meeting between President Putin and myself was a great success, except in the Fake News Media!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) 18 июля 2018 г.
During the wide-ranging interview with Fox News aired on Tuesday, Donald Trump was asked whether Russia was the US’s adversary, US President answered: "I don't want to even use the word adversary. We could all work together, we can do great. Everybody can do well and we can live in peace."
"I’m not pro-Russia, pro-anybody," Trump told Fox News. "I just want to have this country be safe…. You know, Russia and the United States control 90 percent of the nuclear weapons in the world and getting along with Russia – and not only for that reason – it's a good thing, not a bad thing."
Donald Trump also mentioned Russia’s strong military, but noted that the country’s economy was smaller than the Chinese.
Earlier in the day, Donald Trump said that he made significant progress with Russian President Vladimir Putin toward addressing many global conflicts, including in the Middle East, where both countries play a major role. He added that the talks also addressed Israel and its security concerns over Syria. Vladimir Putin is involved in ongoing discussions with the United States and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to address these issues, Trump said.
Donald Trump also stressed at a joint press conference that he never called Vladimir Putin a rival, but described him as a good competitor.