Putin, Trump to meet in Paris on Nov 11

MOSCOW－Russian President Vladimir Putin and his US counterpart Donald Trump are scheduled to have a full-fledged meeting in Paris on Nov 11, Russian presidential aide Yuri Ushakov said on Tuesday.

"This arrangement was confirmed by our president at his meeting with (US National Security Advisor John) Bolton," Ushakov told reporters.

Earlier in the day, Putin met in Moscow with Bolton, who also held consultations with Russian representatives of foreign policy and military political teams.

According to Ushakov, a preliminary agreement has been reached on arranging a comprehensive discussion between the two presidents in Paris on the sidelines of events marking the centenary of the end of World War I.

Members of Russian and US delegations will also attend the meeting, Ushakov said.

During his talks with Bolton, Putin said it would be useful to continue direct dialogue with Trump, such as the "fruitful" meeting held in Helsinki.

On July 16, Putin and Trump held their first one-on-one meeting in the Finnish capital, which both sides considered the first step toward better relations between the two countries.

The Russian president also said that Moscow wishes to seek common ground in its bilateral relations with Washington.

"Despite different approaches, one can and needs to seek this common ground, as it seems to me," Putin said.

Echoing Putin's remarks, Bolton welcomed the upcoming meeting between the presidents and underlined the significance of cooperation.

"Despite our differences, which exist because of our different national interests, it is still important to work in areas where there is a possibility of mutual cooperation," he said.

Russia-US relations have worsened in recent years over a number of disputes including the Ukrainian conflict and Russia's alleged meddling in the 2016 US presidential election, which is strongly denied by Moscow.

Despite the friendly atmosphere of the July summit, bilateral ties have not improved much. In August, Washington imposed a new round of sanctions against Russia and warned of the possibility of another round of stern restrictions in November. Moscow, in turn, vowed retaliation.

On Saturday, Trump said that the United States would pull out of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty signed in 1987 with the Soviet Union, once again flaring up tensions between the two sides.

Xinhua-AFP