Transcript for Trump meets Putin in Helsinki amid Russian meddling indictments

Thanks George I'm Devin Dwyer live Eddie BC news headquarters in New York for continuing coverage of the Helsinki summit with president. Who named president trop ongoing right now the two to meet one on one. I for about an hour three hours in total today. Really has to work meeting as you saw there in the pictures of for the first time the two men sitting down a formal city of the White House. First calling this the summit now and media bit too. A largest nuclear powers in the world in two men also under federal investigation here in the United States. Over that election meddling in 2016. Just on Friday as you know. Robert Mueller special counsel guiding twelve Russian officials for hacking. Democratic National Committee the president promising that that will be on the agenda today but. What will be put on the table what will these men discuss what can be achieved. We have the full team coverage today to unpack some of those questions joining us now on the phone is ABC news contributor former Homeland Security advisor. In the proper administration Tom boss sir Tom. A great to have you join us you just heard the president bears say I'm a refrain that he has repeated over and over again getting along with Russia. Is a good thing for the United States. Up give us a sense what's being upside. Of rebuilding this relationship that is it has come so Fareed. But look good morning thank I think the here is what I I think about it strategic stability bought for brown do. Remember it is yet. October November keep that in seventeen and have been able to. I think we'll. Those areas of our national security. That the Russians can play a positive or are you lieutenant export it back out. Colored paper and among other things our economic relations with the red the world and include in Italy. I think what the president turned. Let me hear. Land and he'll do well privately on the opening there at about the Russian intervention in our election. But publicly he will be airing crop output but you know position to agree to make predictions for the benefit of the unit it. You know the president has no shortage of critics ahead of this meeting Democrats and Republicans alike. Many concerns that despite the upsides you just mentioned. Meeting with the Russian president in this way one on one right now actually only translators in the room. Opt is rewarding bad behavior is validating. That litany. Transgressions including the poisoning. Of those officials in the UK. Of course medal in the US election invading Crimea. Do you think that that the president perhaps is is validating. Behavior that should be condemned and should be isolated. I think that the actual. Europe in the lot louder than those words might I'll buy it critic. Sure Karen. I think even Europeans who are so frustrated that his behavior this week would be to hurt the concede that they were surprised that much. They led after that horrible attack on the triple. Using a chemical weapons prohibited. The other Russians did something. That it that was intolerable and the United States take action belt and a leader in Internet all Russian. Diplomat went out to officers from their countries that hurt. And the Russians know it. And I think there are comparable and quieter. Than it was classified act that we make it impose pain on code name is oligarchs. And I think those actions when we walked into that meeting the president has been alone with him will be perfectly well understood by Putin. Being lectured is less important than being. On the. Postured thank you let's bring in ABC White House correspondent terror Palmieri is in Helsinki terra. We know right now both men are in that room all loan that is drawn a lot of attention just translators. Some of the Europeans. Many people at home many lawmakers at home concerned that that poses a danger. That's right now and there's a lot of concern that wine on wine. There might be some deals that are Mae and those deals might not be great for the Europeans and fork. US US Russia policy that we come to know which is to consider Russia to be an aggressor in Europe and Europe to be an area that we need to protect for US entrap. President trump had made it clear that he thinks that NATO is the Lee. Now I'm here in the Baltic region inland from the Baltic Sea which is shared by Russia and there are eight other countries that share that he and here. Is where Russia actually conducted military exercises. It was just as a provocation and you know just last month in Singapore president prompt agreed to pull back troops without who weekend. In exchange for a promise he knew polarized North Korea so. It's not surprising fit for these allies to hear as president trump may give up a little something to cat. May be another. Another. Asked from. The Russians like pulling out Russian troops from Syria or pulling out Ronnie and there's a lot of concern they'll be watching every word president truck that. About the annexation Crimea rush and brush and and US NATO military presence in the region. Right Aaron of course arms control. Election Natalie Syria all those things on a big agenda today and I happening in Helsinki want to bring in ABC's Cokie Roberts Cokie. Helsinki is a place of history it's a place where many American presidents a Russian leaders have met over the years. And those medias have had a checkered past they've not always gone very well as you know. What's your take on where this one falls in that long history. They certainly. I have bad check opinions of president Kennedy meeting with Krista. Basically said it was the worst day of his life later. Is clock was cleaned and there is in there a lot of concern the same thing could happen here. You know the president is not clear on what he wants to get out of this meeting other than just saying oh it's better to have good relations the bad relations. He certainly does. Elevated. Vladimir Putin's. You know Russia's economy is pathetic it's less than Adam many Americans states. It's only power is its nuclear path are. And and the president certainly emphasize that but what he expects to do about it as a whole other question. And I look back at her home area Helsinki terror in did the president. You know you heard Cokie there is refer to some of the reasons why perhaps this is a dangerous meeting at this time the president trump. Has been so fixated on the Russians since the campaign and improving those relations with Russia. Why is that. Your guess is as good as mine dammit I mean we know that presidents haven't always. Look skeptically in a way the way he speaks about the Russian president. He seems to admire him as a strong man as a leader. Able to sort of force the legal eat his country he sees himself and that way we know that he wanted to deals real estate deals in Russia in Moscow. And you know it's been used to fix the Russian American. Relationship even when president time during the treatment at an Obama transition. Put sanctions that on Russia. Critical of that move and you know called political rather than something that with the national security act issuing. It's it's really something that everyone is trying to understand why that American pressure president is trying to be so close to Russia but yet calls our allies for. Our European Union allies are Nate Ali knows. And they think think that he might be confusing trade with security and seeing them after Paterson traded but that also seeing them as competitors. Insecurities so. We'll see what comes out of this meeting. He seems very eager to me it's something you want if you ala. Even outlast me. Meeting the first meeting they had with ninety minutes and if you're governments but after pleading relying that the full president triple waves from going to that he would talk to other people. Some Hambrecht. So. Who know that could no longer than ninety minutes. Those meetings having a long history of running late running long. Of course this is a summit that the Russians have sought as well not just president trump the Kremlin has been eagerly trying to get. Some time with president trop since before he even took the oath oath of office or bring in our. Moscow reporter Patrick about Patrick you've been tracking the cat the Kremlin. Side of things here they had eagerly. Wanted to get those sanctions. Relieved. US sanctions a lot of sanctions they want to. Are reduced some of these arms treaties with the United States give us the sense of the of the goals on the docket. For the Russians and that's me. The united the criminal of those being perceived that meeting among the recent that when you look at it. I'm Vladimir Putin has plenty to gain from it and not much to lose when you look at it and out let the with president trump is unapproved. You portray himself. A leader of global stature you know on. We. President charm Whitney didn't president ought the United States and you know with being out in Russian media that it. Very much being emphasized but it is more than a Ryan who didn't come here we did a number of goals and the acting chief among them what we've been hearing from Russian officials. It's that they want to try and basically normalized communications. Weak US government because in twenty sports scene when Russia invaded. Crimea. That being no real normal channels of communication between the Russian government and the American government. Basically now all you have been. High level contract at Kate. Summits over to meeting between. But the state. And ministry committed seek communication had a serious prevent clashes. The over the Russians want it to restore normal communication that if they can be that they'll feel that they. I put an end today conflict. They've had. With you know basically the western world since. The Ukraine crisis in. You that our hot he beat beginning at the end it. Isolation. And it may be eventually of the sanctions that being imposed on it that is one of the reasons why Cutler couldn't very keen to cut that you're reading your paper route they need to. It was time that we talk. That we talked of course president trump. Feeling the same way but still I want to come back to this question that we put to Tom postured at the top why is it. That president trump wanted to have this meeting why has he been so eager. To meet with Vladimir Putin we know be conspiracy theories abound. Tom Voss are set of force the terrorists. National security value here and economic value in good relations. With rush Cokie Roberts. This Muller investigation hanging over these two men being investigated. The intelligence community. In fact the Senate Intelligence Committee. Bipartisan committee last week reaffirmed that intelligence assessment that Russia interfered in the election. Many people asking why why is president from trying to have this meeting now. Aaron the president tweeting this morning that the Russian investigation. Is the reason that relations have been so tents. Which is you know really basically not situation situation is that the relations of intense because it. Russia's invasion of Crimea but also because a whole variety of other things poisoning. Expire isn't killing journalists. Whole. A whole host of crimes. That Republican senator for instance than says pointed out before the president went into this meeting. And I and I found David interesting this media. Fact is that. Trade galaxy whose them of the president's biggest defenders in the House of Representatives. Is now saying well you should say to food and now we need him. Extradite the people who were indicted by a rabbit Muller. So this isn't tremendous sense of anxiety. About. Russia's meddling in the United States life not just elections. But president is just absolutely determined that that's not the case and it's all which. And let's take a look at some of the things that are on the agenda for today's meeting again the two leaders meeting for about three hours today election meddling has Cokie Roberts was seen there. One of the top items US officials have said the president intends to raise it. Firmly. Although his public statements have sort of reason to question how seriously he takes that issue arms control to. Nuclear arms control treaties one up for renewal the new start treaty is up for renewal on 20/20 one that'll be on the table. Ukraine the Russian 2014. Invasion of Crimea and take over. An extraordinary thing that led to Russia's isolation and then there's Syria. 2200 American troops in Syria now the Russians have long called. For those troops to come out president prompt saying he wants them to leave very soon let's bring in our White House reporter Catherine Fuller she's in Washington tracking all of this. Catherine give us sense of what the best outcome. I would be what you're hearing from White House officials on what they want to take away from this summit on any one of those fronts. Well done and I think that's the big question to pull troops from Syria are there new nuclear deals that come out of this does the president. Push prudent on election metal and all of the bottom line is that. As people mentioned earlier in this program that the White House and White House officials have been trying to. Downplay this summit which they're calling a meeting the president himself calls at a summit and they say we aren't looking for these concrete deliverables they just want to have a one on one conversation and the other things will come later we'll we'll learn more about that the press conference. What comes out of this but I think all eyes really will be on that election meddling who. After those a twelve Russians were indicted for hacking. I'm on Friday he sitting down obviously with. A man who is accused. Ordering the operation and is national security advisor says this actually strengthens the president's hand. The head of the meeting obviously. The Russians are saying that they view this as a distraction and Russian state TV. Already framing this as trump coming to prudent a win for them so the question is. What deliverables if any come out of this obviously at the White House saying that this is just a conversation. All right captain Paul there's thank you for that the meeting now well under way between President Putin and president trumpets a historic day in Helsinki. We have live continuing coverage right here at ABC news live at abcnews.com. And on the ABC news apt. Full team coverage throughout the day right here we hope to stay with us for now on Devin Dwyer and why and New York receivers.

This transcript has been automatically generated and may not be 100% accurate.