The Helsinki kitchen: Does Putin trust Trump now?

President Putin said that the relations between Russia and the United States are going through a difficult period of time. Yet, the meeting between the presidents of the two countries was held "in a frank and businesslike atmosphere," Putin said.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said during a press conference that the talks with his American counterpart Donald Trump in Helsinki were successful and useful for the two countries.

"The talks were held in a frank and businesslike atmosphere. I consider them very successful and useful," Putin said.

"It's obvious for everyone that the bilateral relations between the two countries are going through a difficult period of time, but these difficulties have no objective reason. The Cold War is over, and the situation has changed dramatically," Putin said.

The Russian leader added that the Helsinki summit showed the desire of the two countries to "straighten out the relations."

"In general, we are satisfied with our first full-format meeting. We had a good conversation with President Trump. I hope we understand each other better now," Vladimir Putin concluded.

Putin also said that in 2016, he wanted Donald Trump to win the election. "I wanted him to win because he was talking about the normalization of the US-Russian relationship," Putin said, adding that Russia has never interfered in US elections.

When asked whether he could trust Donald Trump, Vladimir Putin replied: "One cannot believe anyone. What made you think that President Trump trusts me and I trust him? He protects the interests of the United States of America, and I protect the interests of the Russian Federation."