Lo, how the mighty have fallen.
Donald Trump, who currently occupies the office of the U.S. President, says he plans to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin next month.
From Bloomberg:
“We’re looking at the possibility,” Trump said Thursday during a White House meeting with governors. The Putin summit is planned during a Trump visit to Europe already announced, according to two people familiar with the matter.
Two possibilities for the meeting are either before a NATO summit in Brussels on July 11 or after Trump’s visit to Britain on July 13, one of the people said. Both people asked not to be identified discussing the plans because they aren’t final.
Trump made the comments as reports broke that his national security adviser John Bolton will travel to Moscow next week to prepare for Trump's big meeting with Putin.
Separately, The Washington Post reports that a group of Republican senators will travel to Russia at the invitation of U.S. Ambassador to Russia Jon Huntsman.
The delegation will arrive in St. Petersburg on June 30 and head to Moscow on July 3-4 for meetings with officials.
The U.S. senators will celebrate American Independence Day in Moscow, according a report in the official state-run Russian news agency Interfax, republished by The New York Daily News:
The delegation will arrive in St. Petersburg on June 30 and spend time there before heading to the country’s capital on July 3 and 4th for meetings with lawmakers, Russian news agency Interfax reported, citing an unnamed official.
A group of Republican senators had been planning a visit to the country after an invitation from U.S. Ambassador Jon Huntsman, the Washington Post reported last week.
Those reportedly part of the group included Richard Shelby of Alabama, John Neely Kennedy of Louisiana and North Dakota’s John Hoeven, though those members have not announced any plans.
The Kremlin says there are no plans for a meeting between Trump and Putin before the NATO summit, according to Interfax. Trump is expected to attend the NATO summit in Brussels on July 11-12.
