Kremlin officials are discussing a possible meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and United States National Security Adviser John Bolton when he visits Moscow next week, according to Russia's TASS news agency.
The Kremlin confirmed Thursday Bolton was planning to visit the Russian capital to discuss plans for a possible summit next month between Putin and U.S. President Donald Trump.
Bolton will meet next week with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov Russia's, Reuters reported Friday — citing Russia's RIA Novosti news agency.
National Security Council spokesman Garrett Marquis confirmed Thursday in a tweet that "On June 25-27, U.S. National Security Adviser 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."
Media reports Thursday quoted unnamed sources who said 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.
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.
