MOSCOW - Russian President Vladimir Putin regards US President Donald Trump as a negotiation partner at their upcoming talks in Helsinki, the Kremlin said Friday.

"The president of the United States is a counterpart at the talks scheduled for Monday," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov was quoted as saying by Russian media.

On Thursday, Trump told reporters at a press conference in Brussels that to him, Putin, was a "competitor" rather than an enemy.

"I think we'll get along well. But ultimately he's a competitor. He's representing Russia. I'm representing the United States. So in a sense we're competitors, not a question of friend or enemy. He's not my enemy," Trump said.

Trump added that although he did not know Putin very well, he hoped that one day he might become friends with him.

The two leaders are scheduled to meet in the capital of Finland on Monday to discuss bilateral relations as well as a range of international issues including Ukraine, Syria and Moscow's alleged interference in the US elections, according to media reports.