Nuclear weapons in focus as Trump meets Putin for talks

(With POL-RUSSIA-SUMMIT-PUTIN) MOSCOW, July 16 (KUNA) -- US President Donald Trump has suggested to his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin the need for significant reductions to nuclear weapons, as the two leaders arrived in Finland for a long-awaited summit on Monday.
Trump hopes that the US-Russia summit would signal a thaw in ties with Moscow after relations have slumped to their lowest ebb since the Cold War.
The US and Russian leaders together control more than 90 percent of the world's nuclear stockpile, which behooves the two nations to address the nuclear arms race, the US president said.
Meanwhile, Putin said that time is ripe for constructive dialogue over the Kremlin's ties with Washington, citing recent encounters the two leaders have had in recent months. (end) as.nam