Sputnik/Mikhael Klimentyev/Kremlin via Reuters
Russia’s Vladimir Putin on Sunday responded to the latest overture from President Trump with open arms, saying he’s prepared to meet with the American president in the near future to strengthen ties. “As soon as the American side is ready this meeting would take place depending on my working schedule of course,” Putin told reporters at a briefing in the Chinese city of Qingdao, pitching Vienna as a possible venue. “The U.S. president himself repeatedly said that he would consider such a meeting helpful. I can confirm this. It's true,” he said. Putin’s remarks came a day after Trump sought to bring Russia back into the fold at the G7, calling on other world leaders to allow Moscow back in the interests of “peace,” despite the Kremlin’s annexation of Crimea in 2014. Putin responded to that suggestion Sunday by inviting G7 nations to Moscow. “We did not (choose to) leave it, our colleagues refused to come to Russia due to known reasons at some point. Please, we will be glad to see everyone here in Moscow,” he said.