Reports: Putin Ready To Invite Trump To Russia, Visit DC ‘If Appropriate’

HELSINKI, FINLAND - JULY 16, 2018: US President Donald Trump (L) and Russia's President Vladimir Putin shake hands during a meeting at the Presidential Palace. Alexei Nikolsky/Russian Presidential Press and Informati... HELSINKI, FINLAND - JULY 16, 2018: US President Donald Trump (L) and Russia's President Vladimir Putin shake hands during a meeting at the Presidential Palace. Alexei Nikolsky/Russian Presidential Press and Information Office/TASS (Photo by Alexei NikolskyTASS via Getty Images) MORE LESS

MOSCOW (AP) — Russian news reports say President Vladimir Putin is ready to invite President Donald Trump to Russia and that he’s willing to visit Washington if he feels the conditions are right.

Putin made the comments Friday at a news conference at the summit of leaders of the of BRICs countries in Johannesburg, South Africa.

The Interfax news agency said he expressed readiness to invite Trump. The agency quoted Putin as saying “He has, by the way, such an invitation, and I told him about it.” It was not immediately clear if Putin was referring to a formal invitation or a verbal one in spirit.

Interfax quoted Putin as saying he is ready to visit Washington “if the appropriate conditions are created there.”