They were joined later by aides for an expanded meeting that is scheduled to last another two hours.

“I think it's a good start. Very, very good start for everybody,” Trump said at the start of the expanded meeting.

Trump had tongues wagging ahead of the summit with his criticism on Twitter of past administrations, which he blamed for the poor U.S.-Russia relationship.

Trump also pointed to the investigation of Russia's involvement in the 2016 presidential election, blaming the "Rigged Witch Hunt" for the poor ties with Russia.

“Our relationship with Russia has NEVER been worse thanks to many years of U.S. foolishness and stupidity and now, the Rigged Witch Hunt!” Trump tweeted , referring to the special counsel’s probe into Russia’s interference in the 2016 election.

Trump's tweet was remarkable given the views of many Republicans and Democrats alike that actions by Putin and Russia are to blame for why the United States and Russia do not get along.

Russia was condemned in the United States for its annexation of Crimea in 2014, and the U.S. and Russia have also battled over Moscow's support for Syrian President Bashar Assad in that country's years-long civil war, among other issues.

The intelligence community has also found that Moscow interfered in the U.S. presidential election, and 12 Russian nationals were indicted on Friday for their alleged role in hacking the Democratic National Committee.

Trump has repeatedly disparaged the special counsel's investigation of the election, and his tweet was consistent with past arguments he has made about what he sees as a witch hunt.

Trump has in recent weeks repeatedly blamed the issue on the Obama administration and left the door open to recognizing Russia's claim on Crimea.