Trump’s advisor to visit Moscow to prepare a meeting between the US and Russian leaders
US National Security Adviser John Bolton will visit Moscow next week to begin preparations for a meeting between the President of the United States, Donald Trump, and Russian President Vladimir Putin, Interfax reports with reference to sources in Washington. The Russian President’s Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov confirmed this information.
"As far as we know… such a trip will take place. This is all we can say for now," Peskov replied to the journalists’ question about whether Bolton is expected in Moscow. Earlier, Interfax reported, citing sources in the White House, that Bolton was leaving for Russia to start preparations for a meeting between Trump and Putin.
The possibility of the two presidents meeting has been discussed since March 2018, when Trump invited Putin to the White House during a telephone conversation. The presidents agreed that the foreign ministries of both countries will discuss the possible place and time of the summit but until June 21, representatives of the Russian Foreign Ministry were saying that preparations for the meeting were not being conducted. Both Trump and Putin repeatedly expressed hope for constructive friendly dialogue between them.
The meeting of presidents could take place before the NATO summit and Trump's visit to Great Britain, which raised fears among British and American politicians. According to their statements, this could undermine the commitment of the US President to NATO principles and shift focus to a dialogue with Putin. US media reported that Trump’s own administration could sabotage a possible meeting of the presidents without his knowledge.
During the G7 summit, the American leader called for Russia to be returned to the group and to discuss with it all the problems that led to the exclusion of the Russian Federation from the G7, which six other participating countries refused. Against the backdrop of US trade disputes with EU countries, this proposal only further cooled relations between states and German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas spoke of the "destruction of trust" towards the Trump administration and the United States.
During the meeting, the presidents should touch upon the problems of combating terrorism and the strategic interaction between the US and Russia, as the Russian Foreign Ministry said earlier. Resolution of these issues will determine the further dialogue between countries. Trump and Putin have met twice in person: in July 2017, at the G20 summit in Hamburg, Germany where they had a three-hour conversation and in November 2017, at the APEC summit in Da Nang, Vietnam.