Putin: Trump confirmed willing to mend ties
The Russian president meets with outgoing US President Obama on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Lima; Putin: 'I told him that we would be happy to see him in Russia anytime if he wants, can and has the desire.'
"The President-elect confirmed he is willing to normalize Russian-American relations. I told him the same. We did not discuss where and when we would meet," said Putin.
Trump and Putin have already signaled they may pursue a less antagonistic relationship after Trump takes office in January. In a phone call shortly after Trump was elected, Putin congratulated him and expressed readiness for a "partner-like dialogue," the Kremlin said.
The meeting came as Obama, on the last day of his final overseas tour as president, sought to reassure world leaders gathered at an economic summit in Peru that their longstanding ties with the US wouldn't falter under Trump.
Trump's election overshadowed every stop on Obama's trip. The president went to once unimaginable lengths to defend the real-estate mogul and reality TV star who he had repeatedly denounced during the campaign as "temperamentally unfit" and "uniquely unqualified" to be president.
"I think it will be important for everybody around the world to not make immediate judgments, but give this new president-elect a chance to put their team together, to examine the issues, to determine what their policies will be," Obama said in response to a question about Trump during a forum here Saturday with some of Latin America's future leaders.
"As I've always said, how you campaign isn't always the same as how you govern," he added.
Leaders in every region of the world have expressed concern about Trump's stances on immigration, trade, NATO and other matters.
Meanwhile, Obama spoke briefly Putin about Syria and Ukraine on Sunday, in their first known conversation since Donald Trump was elected the next US president. The White House said the conversation lasted four minutes.
The two leaders were seen chatting at the start of the opening session of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Lima. They stood off to the side together momentarily with aides close by before shaking hands and then taking their seats around a table.
Putin said he thanked Obama during Sunday's meeting in Lima "for the years of joint work".
"I told him that we would be happy to see him (Obama) in Russia anytime if he wants, can and has desire", Putin said.
Although reporters present couldn't hear what they said, the White House said Obama encouraged Putin to uphold his country's commitments under the Minsk deal aimed at ending the Ukraine conflict. Both the White House and the Kremlin said the leaders had agreed that US Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign minister Sergei Lavrov should keep working throughout Obama's final months on initiatives lower violence in Syria and alleviate suffering.
The short interaction came amid intense speculation and concern about whether Trump's election might herald a more conciliatory US approach to Russia. Under Obama, the US has enacted severe sanctions on Russia over its aggressive behavior in Ukraine and has sought unsuccessfully to persuade Moscow to stop intervening in Syria's civil war to help prop up Syrian President Bashar Assad.
