President Donald Trump kicked off his historic summit with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, on Monday by predicting their two countries “will end up having an extraordinary relationship.”

Trump and Putin delivered opening remarks at the presidential palace in Helsinki, Finland, before engaging in one-on-one talks that could drag on for hours.

.@POTUS: “Mr. President I’d like to congratulate you on a really great World Cup.” pic.twitter.com/qjKsr5AlYR — Fox News (@FoxNews) July 16, 2018

Trump started by congratulating Putin for Russia's impressive performance at the 2018 World Cup, where the host nation made it to the quarterfinals before losing to Croatia in a penalty shoot-out.

.@POTUS: “We have a lot of good things to talk about and things to talk about. We have discussions on everything from trade to military.” pic.twitter.com/8OiZSvJi2l — Fox News (@FoxNews) July 16, 2018

He said he and Putin have “a lot of good things to talk about,” from trade to missiles to China, and this meeting could open up "great opportunities" for both countries.

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.@POTUS: “I think we will end up having an extraordinary relationship, I hope so.” pic.twitter.com/UVWRP8AzAl — Fox News (@FoxNews) July 16, 2018

“I think we will end up having an extraordinary relationship,” Trump said. “Getting along with Russia is a good thing, not a bad thing.”

He added that the U.S. and Russia are the world's two great nuclear powers, and "the world wants to see us get along."

.@POTUS: “I really think the world wants to see us get along. We are the two great nuclear powers.” pic.twitter.com/kiNGxQFlGu — Fox News (@FoxNews) July 16, 2018

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