U.S. national security adviser John Bolton is set to meet with top Russian officials in Moscow on Wednesday amid talk of a possible summit between President Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Bolton will first meet with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov before sitting down with Putin at the Kremlin, The Associated Press reported.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters that the meetings with Bolton will focus on international stability and “the sorrow state of our bilateral relations,” according to the AP.
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Relations between the U.S. and Russia have become increasingly strained in recent years, and tensions worsened after the U.S. intelligence community determined that Moscow sought to interfere in the 2016 American presidential election.
Trump came into office optimistic about mending relations with Russia. Earlier this month, he called on key U.S. allies to readmit Russia to the Group of Seven. Moscow was suspended from the group in 2014 after it annexed Crimea from Ukraine.
The possible summit between Trump and Putin is expected to take place in mid-July when Trump travels to Europe for the NATO summit in Brussels. Vienna and Helsinki have been rumored to be possible locations for the summit.