Makes sense to get along with Russia: Donald Trump

TIL Desk/World/Washington/ It makes sense for the United States to get along with Russia, US President Donald Trump said on Monday on the eve of the meeting between Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Russian President Vladimir Putin.   

Trump, who recently had a lengthy conversation with Putin over phone, is scheduled to meet his Russian counterpart in Japan next month on the sidelines of the G-20 Summit. The summit would be attended by leaders of the top 20 economies, including India.        

“I’ll be meeting with President Putin also,” Trump told reporters at his Oval Office of the White House. “I think the message is that there has never been anybody that’s been so tough on Russia but, at the same time, we’re going to end up getting along with Russia. It makes sense to get along with Russia,” he said.       

Responding to a question, Trump asserted that none of his predecessors had sanctioned Russia like he had. “Nobody has talked about the pipeline going to Germany and various other places like I have. I said it’s very unfair — having to do with the United States and NATO,” he said.