US President Donald Trump has said getting on with Russia is "a good thing, not a bad thing" at the start of his first summit with Vladimir Putin.
Trump said he hoped for an "extraordinary relationship" as the two presidents met in Helsinki, Finland.
Earlier, Trump blamed US-Russia tensions on previous administrations.
Relations were severely strained by Moscow's annexation of Crimea in 2014 and by claims that Russia helped Trump win the 2016 election.
Some US politicians called for the summit to be cancelled after 12 Russian military intelligence agents were charged on Friday with hacking the presidential campaign of Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton.
But writing on Twitter, Trump put the blame for the deterioration in relations with Russia on "years of US foolishness and stupidity and now, the Rigged Witch Hunt".
In response, Russia's foreign affairs ministry tweeted: "We agree."
Trump's tweet is likely to alarm White House advisers already nervous about the risks of ceding too much ground to the Russian leader during the talks.
The summit - in which the two leaders are being joined only by their interpreters - comes after a tumultuous European tour that saw Trump sharply criticize longstanding allies of the US over trade and military spending.
Russia has been criticized in the US because of its military support for President Bashar al-Assad in Syria as well as its destabilizing actions in Ukraine.
Relations have also been damaged by accusations of Russian interference in the 2016 US election, and Trump campaign collusion in the effort. The allegations are being investigated by Special Counsel Robert Mueller.
Trump has consistently denounced the inquiry as a "witch hunt". The 12 Russians indicted on Friday were targeted as part of Mueller's investigation.
Top Democrats including party chairman Tom Perez urged Trump to cancel the talks, saying Mr Putin was "not a friend of the United States".
On the Republican side, Senator John McCain said the summit "should not move forward" unless the president "is prepared to hold Putin accountable".
Russia denied the hacking allegations, and said it looked forward to the talks as a vehicle for improving relations.
Source: BBC
BDST: 1915 HRS, JULY 16, 2018
AP
