Ahead of his Friday summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska, US President Donald Trump expressed optimism about the possibility of normal trade between both countries and said he'll know within the first two minutes of their meeting whether a deal can be struck. Trump made these comments while addressing the White House briefing on Monday (local time).

When asked if he sees a time when there could be normal trade between the US and Russia, Trump said, "I do. Russia has a very valuable piece of land. If Vladimir Putin would go toward business instead of toward war, you know, it's a warring nation. That's what they do. They fight a lot of wars. A friend of mine said Russia is tough because they just keep on fighting."

"We're going to have a meeting with Vladimir Putin. And at the end of that meeting, probably in the first two minutes, I'll know exactly whether or not a deal can be made," he added. Further, Trump expressed optimism about the meeting and said, "I'd like to see a ceasefire. I'd like to see the best deal that could be made for both parties."