Putin “feels hopeful” about relations with the US after meeting Bolton

Russian President Vladimir Putin and US National Security Advisor John Bolton meet in Moscow. Photo: AP

Hard-line figure John Bolton - adviser to President Donald Trump is in Moscow to lay the groundwork for a summit between the Kremlin chief and Mr Trump, likely to take place next July in Europe.

“Your visit to Moscow gives us hope that we can at least take the first step towards restoring full-fledged relations between our countries,” Mr Putin told Mr Bolton at the start of their meeting at the Kremlin, after the two men smiled and shook hands for the cameras.

“We have never sought confrontation,” Mr. Putin said in televised remarks, adding that he regretted that Russia-US relations were not “in an optimal state.”

Mr Bolton said it was important to maintain dialogue, and praised Mr Putin for his handling of the World Cup football tournament currently taking place in Russia.

“Even in the past when our countries have had disagreements, their leaders and their advisers have met and I think that's been very good for both countries, good for stability in the world and President Trump feels very strongly about this subject,” he said.

“So again, we appreciate your courtesy and kindness here and I look forward to learning from you how you ran such a successful World Cup, among other things.”

The United States will co-host the 2026 World Cup with Mexico and Canada.

Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov said earlier in the day that the meeting would be an opportunity to discuss the "sad state" of bilateral relations as well as top international issues.

Mr Trump said this month that Russia should be invited back into the G7 group of developed nations, from which it was suspended after its 2014 annexation of Crimea.

As a former US ambassador to the United Nations, Mr. Bolton is known for his hawkish stances and has repeatedly called for tough sanctions against Russia.

“We risked negotiating with Russia,” he wrote in a 2017 article in the Daily Telegraph.

Earlier, also on June 27, Mr. Bolton had a closed meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and First Deputy Secretary of the Russian Security Council Yury Averyanov.

There is speculation that the meeting between Mr Trump and Mr Putin could coincide with the World Cup final.

Benjamin Netanyahu is also considering attending the match, and Mahmoud Abbas has now accepted an invitation from Mr Putin, raising the possibility of an Israeli-Palestinian summit around the time of the final.

Any summit could take place when Mr. Trump travels to Europe in July. He will attend a NATO summit in Brussels on July 11-12, where discussions could be tense after Trump decided to impose tariffs on Canada, Mexico and the EU, major U.S. trade and security partners.

He will then begin a long-delayed visit to the UK on July 13 and stay there until at least July 14, holding talks with Prime Minister Theresa May and meeting the Queen at Windsor Castle.