Putin expresses hope Russia and U.S. to improve relations

Russian President Vladimir Putin said at the meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in Sochi he hoped to improve relations with the United States.

The Russian leader noted that the conclusion of the special counsel investigation into Russia's interference in the 2016 election meant that was possible.

"Despite all the exotic work of Mr. Mueller's commission, I have to give him his due: on the whole, he conducted an objective investigation and confirmed the absence of any traces of a conspiracy between Russia and the current administration," Putin told Pompeo at his residence outside the city. 

The Russian president  said that Mueller's investigation had spoiled relations between the U.S. and Russia but that "Today I am hoping the situation is changing."

According to the Russian president, the areas of common interest include the preservation of strategic stability, non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, resolution of regional crises, the fight against organized crime, efforts to tackle environmental and poverty issues, TASS reported.