WASHINGTON, DC – President Donald Trump refrained from calling Russia a security threat during a press conference Monday and said he hopes to have “good relations” with the country.

“I hope that we do have good relations with Russia. I say it loud and clear, I have been saying it for years. I think it’s a good thing if we have great relationships, or at least good relationships, with Russia,” he said at a press conference with Finnish President Sauli Niinisto.

His remark was reminiscent of rhetoric on the campaign trail and early on in his administration when he said he hoped to get along with Russia.

“I believe someday that will happen. It’s a big country. It’s a nuclear country. I think that’s very good for world peace and other things,” he said.

Trump was asked by a Finnish journalist whether Russia was a threat, given its rising tensions with Baltic nations.

“I consider many countries as security threats, unfortunately, when you look at what’s going on in the world today,” he said.

However, Trump did say the U.S. is “very protective” of the Baltic region.

Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2014 and the annexation of the Crimea peninsula, the U.S. has stepped up its military exercises and presence in the region.