Most likely to meet Putin next month in Europe, says Trump
US President Donald Trump today said he is “most likely” to hold a summit meeting with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in Europe next month.
Trump is scheduled to attend the July 11-12 NATO summit in Brussels. Besides, he is likely to visit London for talks with British Prime Minister Theresa May on that trip. “I’ve said it from day one: Getting along with Russia and with China and with everybody is a very good thing. It’s good for the world, it’s good for us, it’s good for everybody. So, we’ll probably be meeting sometime around my trip to Europe,” Trump told reporters during a joint media appearance with Polish President Rebelo De Sousa.
The likelihood of a Trump-Putin summit comes on the back of US National Security Advisor John Bolton’s Moscow visit. Trump said he would know about the date and venue of his maiden summit meeting with Putin later in the day. The two leaders have met twice last year on the sidelines of the international summits.
The summit meeting would be preceded by a meeting between the Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov, he added. During a Congressional hearing, Pompeo told lawmakers that at the meeting Trump would raise the issue of Russian meddling in US elections. “I am confident when President meets with Vladimir (Putin), he will make clear that meddling in our elections is completely unacceptable,” he said. Democratic Senator Chris Coons said it is entirely possible for a US and Russia summit to be constructive.
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