Shannon Stapleton/Reuters
President-elect Donald Trump says he would be open to removing sanctions against Russia if Moscow is “really helping us.” In an interview with the Wall Street Journal that came out late Friday, Trump said he would leave the sanctions in place “at least for a period of time,” though he did not elaborate or provide a more specific timeframe. The sanctions, imposed by the Obama administration in late December amid allegations that Moscow meddled in the presidential election, have been widely seen as a test for Trump as he takes office. Despite finally conceding that Russia may really have been behind election hacking at his Wednesday news conference, however, he appears not to have hardened his stance on the matter. “If you get along and if Russia is really helping us, why would anybody have sanctions if somebody’s doing some really great things?” Trump said in the WSJ interview. Trump also said he would be willing to meet with Russian President Vladimir Trump soon after he takes office on Jan. 20. “I understand that they would like to meet, and that’s absolutely fine with me,” he said.