Putin calls summit with Trump first step towards ‘clearing backlog' in Russia-U.S. relations

"Of course, numerous problems persist, and we have failed to clear the backlog in full, it was impossible to do this, but I believe we have made the first important step in that direction," Putin told a news conference after the summit talks in Helsinki on Monday.

Putin said his talks with Trump were useful and successful.

"The talks with President of the United States Mr. Donald Trump were held in a frank, business-like atmosphere," he said. "I view them as successful and useful."

According to Putin, the two presidents "focused on the current state of and potential for the Russian-US relations along with on topical international issues."

"It is evident that bilateral relations are passing through difficult times, but those difficulties and the current tense atmosphere have no objective reasons," Putin is convinced.

"The Cold War ended long ago, the era of acute ideological confrontation between the two countries is a thing of the past, and the situation has drastically changed in the world," he explained.

Putin also said he was satisfied in general with results of the talks.

"On the whole, we're satisfied with our first full-scale meeting," he said. "President Trump and I have had a great conversation and I hope we've begun to understand each other better."

The Russian leader thanked host Finland for ensuring the working atmosphere of the summit. "I am grateful to the Finnish leadership, the Finnish people, the residents of Helsinki for what has been done," Putin said. "We know that we have inconvenienced the residents of Helsinki, and we apologize for that," the Russian leader added.

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