US NSA set to meet Putin in Kremlin

US National Security Adviser John Bolton is set to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin on Wednesday.

Bolton is in Moscow ahead of an expected summit meeting between Putin and Trump in mid-July. He is also meeting Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, Kremlin foreign policy adviser Yuri Ushakov and members of Russia's Security Council, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov was cited as saying by the Washington Post.

"The President will receive Bolton in the Kremlin," Peskov said. "Such a meeting will happen today."

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said last week that Trump and Putin will likely meet "in the not too distant future" following Bolton's visit to Moscow.

The Trump-Putin summit would be the first meeting of the two Presidents not taking place on the sidelines of a broader international gathering.

Their meeting is expected to take place while Trump is in Europe in mid-July. He is scheduled to attend the summit meeting of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization July 11 and 12 and will visit Britain on July 13.

Peskov declined to comment on news reports that the Trump-Putin meeting could take place in Vienna or Helsinki.

Talking about the purpose of meetings with Bolton, Peskov said: "We cannot boast about a wealth of bilateral contacts in our bilateral relationship."

"Such contacts are used to exchange views on the main problems in international affairs -- they are rather clear and obvious -- and to discuss the sad state of our bilateral relationship."

--IANS

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