Putin discusses improvement of trade relations with the US

Reuters - Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke on Monday (July 16) for the improvement in the country's relations with the United States, which plummeted to a Cold War low over Russia's annexation of Crimea from Ukraine and alleged meddling in the U.S. presidential poll. At a joint news conference after one-on-one talks, Putin said Moscow and Washington had multiple areas of common interest and their cooperation was crucial for the international security. Putin and Trump met in Finland's capital Helsinki a few days after the indictment of 12 Russian military intelligence officers on charges of hacking into the 2016 U.S. presidential campaign. Trump said on Monday he saw no reason to believe Russia had hacked the 2016 U.S. presidential election to help him win, and Putin "was extremely strong and powerful in his denial today".