Vladimir Putin met with John Bolton, Assistant to the President of the United States of America for National Security, in the Kremlin.
On the Russian side, the meeting was attended by presidential aide Yuri Ushakov, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu.
The prospects for the development of Russian-American relations, the issue of disarmament, the Syrian and Ukrainian crises, and the situation on the Korean peninsula were discussed.
In addition, an agreement was reached on the meeting of V.Putin and D.Trump; The time and venue of the summit will be announced later.
* * *
Vladimir Putin: Dear Mr. Bolton! Dear colleagues! Let me greet you cordially in Moscow.
At the beginning of the conversation, I regret to state that Russian-American relations are not in the best shape. I have already talked about this more than once publicly, I would like to repeat it at a meeting with you.
I believe that this is largely the result of a sharp domestic political struggle in the United States itself, but your arrival in Moscow gives us hope that we can make at least first steps towards restoring full-format relations between our states. Russia has never aspired to confrontation.
I hope that we can talk with you today about what could be done on both sides in order to restore full-format relations on the basis of equality and respect for each other’s interests.
And I want to congratulate you on the fact that the United States got the right to host the FIFA World Cup in 2026. So far we are able to organize this competition properly. We will be glad to share our experience with you.
Welcome!
D.Bolton (as translated): Thank you, Mr. President!
I am very glad to be back in Moscow. Thank you for accepting me and giving me time. I hope that we will be able, as in the course of our talks with your colleagues, to discuss ways to improve the relationship between Russia and the United States in areas on which we have some disagreements.
Earlier, when we had serious disagreements, our advisers met. This was an important guarantee of stability in the world.
Mr. Trump is committed to achieving these goals, therefore, we now sincerely thank you for this opportunity to meet, for accepting me.
And of course, I’m pleased to learn from you about how you manage to hold the championship so successfully.