Trump: Years of Washington's Foolishness Are Reasons for Deterioration of Relations with Russia

The meeting between the Presidents of the United States and Russia began on Monday in Helsinki. Prior to this meeting, Donald Trump described years of 'Washington's foolishness' as reasons for the deterioration of relations between the two countries. It is expected that Syria and the presence of Iranian forces in the country will be among the main topics of discussion between the American and Russian leaders. At the start of his meeting with Vladimir Putin, Trump stated, 'The world wants to see us friendly' and added that the two countries have had 'great opportunities' but their relations have not been good in recent years. The U.S. President mentioned that he would discuss trade, military, missile, nuclear weapons, and China issues with his counterpart. Donald Trump referred to Xi Jinping, the leader of China, as a 'common friend' of himself and Vladimir Putin. The U.S. President emphasized that he believes Russia and the United States can have an 'extraordinary relationship.' Vladimir Putin, who arrived 45 minutes late to the Finnish Presidential Palace, stated that it is time to seriously discuss the relations between the two powerful countries and global issues with Donald Trump. On Monday, July 16, just hours before his meeting with his Russian counterpart, Trump tweeted: 'Thanks to years of foolishness and stupidity in Washington, and now with the deceptive smear campaign, our relationship with Russia has never been worse.' The Russian Foreign Ministry's Twitter account liked Trump's tweet. The meeting between the U.S. and Russian Presidents began in Helsinki, Finland, as Robert Mueller, the special counsel, charged 12 Russian intelligence officers on Friday, July 13, with hacking the Democrats' campaign in the presidential election. Several members of the U.S. Congress from both the Republican and Democratic parties condemned Donald Trump's meeting with Vladimir Putin in Helsinki. Robert Mueller is investigating the possible interference of Russia in the U.S. presidential election and the collusion of Donald Trump's campaign team with Moscow; several of Trump's associates have been questioned in this regard. The U.S. President has denied any collusion regarding the presidential election with Russia. On Monday, Trump again accused former President Barack Obama of taking no action regarding Russia's interference in the elections and the FBI's warnings. The U.S. and Russian Presidents began their bilateral talks on Monday at the Finnish Presidential Palace in Helsinki and are expected to continue discussions with their advisors afterward. Topics expected to be discussed include Syria, the presence of Iranian forces in the country, Israel, and sanctions on Iran. Dmitry Peskov, the Kremlin spokesman, described the dialogue between Trump and Putin regarding Iran as 'difficult.' The Kremlin spokesman told the 'Russia Today' television network, 'It is clear that the two Presidents will discuss Syria. We are very well aware of Washington's approach to Iran. However, at the same time, Iran is a good partner for us in economy, trade, and political dialogue. Therefore, the discussion will not be easy.' Both politicians have previously expressed complimentary remarks about each other. Trump also described the World Cup final as 'truly great' shortly after its conclusion and congratulated Vladimir Putin on hosting it.