Putin says is open to contacts with Trump

MINSK. July 27 (Interfax) - Russian President Vladimir Putin said he is open to contacts with U.S. President Donald Trump, but preparations need to be made for such meeting.

"I am always open to contacts, to have a meeting. I know that Mr Trump has said about the possibility of a meeting. Like him, I believe that preparations need to be made for such meetings, we should reach some new levels of cooperation based on the results," he said at a meeting with journalists following a visit to Belarus.

Putin said that Russian-U.S. relations have started improving under Trump, and although not all issue have been solved as regards of improvement of diplomatic relations, the sides are moving in the right direction. In particular, he said the two countries' agencies are also in contact about the signals given by U.S. business about a return to the Russian market.

"Thorough preparations need to be made for all that. And in general, a meeting is quite possible, and we will gladly prepare for it," Putin said.