U.S. President Donald Trump said on Monday he had productive talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin that had turned the corner on a relationship that had never been worse.
"If we are going to solve many of the problems facing our world, we will have to find ways to cooperate," Trump told a joint news conference in the Finnish capital Helsinki.
He said he had discussed a wide range of critical issues for both countries, including the war in Syria, Iran, global terrorism and nuclear arms control. He also addressed the issue of alleged Russian interference in U.S. elections, he said.
"We made the first steps towards a brighter future, grounded on cooperation and peace," he said. "Refusing to engage will not accomplish anything."
Trump says a productive dialogue between the U.S. and Russia is good for both countries and "is good for the world."
Trump says they discussed disagreements between their countries "at length."
"Our relationship has never been worse than it is now. However, that changed as of about four hours ago. I really believe that," Trump told a Helsinki news conference after a day of talks with Putin.
He says he's sure that he and Putin will meet again often in the future.
