US President Donald Trump has departed for Alaska on Air Force One for a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Asked what the difference was between the upcoming in-person meeting with Putin and their phone calls so far, Trump expressed confidence that a deal could be reached at the Alaska meeting.
“We get along,” Trump told reporters on board the plane. “There’s mutual respect, and I think something will come out of it,” he added.
Trump said that Russia’s drone attacks on Ukraine are currently part of Putin’s negotiating strategy ahead of the Alaska talks. “He’s trying to set the stage. In his thinking, it helps him make a better deal. It actually hurts him,” the US president said.
Trump added that he was open to economic talks with Putin, noting that the Russian leader was arriving at the Alaska meeting with a group of businessmen. "I would discuss this because it's one of the things they want. They would like to get a piece of what I created in the economy," he said. | BGNES