Planning is underway for a summit between United States President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, according to news reports, citing two people familiar with the matter who requested anonymity.
The meeting is expected to take place during Trump’s visit to Europe next month. 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.
The White House declined to comment Wednesday evening and the U.S. National Security Council did not immediately respond to a VOA request for comment.
Putin spokesman Dmitry Peskov also declined to comment on a conference call Thursday with reporters, but he did say that U.S. National Security Adviser John Bolton is expected to visit Russia next week to discuss preparations.
A location has not been disclosed, but several foreign media organizations reported earlier that the leaders could meet in one of the European capitals following the NATO summit. Some media reports have reported that 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.