Planning is underway for a summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, according to White House officials.
Media reports quote unnamed sources who say the meeting is expected to take place next month during Trump's visit to Europe. The two leaders could meet before the July 11-12 NATO summit in Brussels, or following President Trump's visit to Britain two days later.
National Security Council spokesman Garrett Marquis tweeted Thursday that "On June 25-27, U.S. National Security Advisor John Bolton will meet with U.S. allies in London and Rome to discuss national security issues, and travel to Moscow to discuss a potential meeting between Presidents Trump and Putin."
Putin spokesman Dmitry Peskov also confirmed in a call with reporters that Bolton will visit Russia next week to discuss preparations.
A location has not been disclosed, but several foreign media organizations reported earlier that Putin and Trump could meet in one of the European capitals following the NATO summit. Some media reports say Vienna is a possible venue.
Trump has expressed interest in restoring Putin's standing on the global stage. Trump proposed earlier this month at the G-7 summit in Quebec that Russia be readmitted to the Group of Eight countries. Russia's membership was suspended after its annexation of Crimea in 2014.
