U.S. National Security Advisor: Trump and Putin to Meet in Hamburg

Herbert McMaster, the U.S. National Security Advisor, stated on Thursday that Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin, the presidents of Russia and the United States, will meet next week on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Hamburg, Germany. According to the Associated Press, McMaster emphasized in a conversation with reporters that Trump's meeting with Putin is part of the U.S. President's agenda to meet with various world leaders during the G20 summit in Hamburg. This will be the first meeting between Trump and Putin since Trump took office on January 20 of this year. Meanwhile, Dmitry Peskov, the Kremlin spokesman, also confirmed that the U.S. and Russian presidents will meet in Hamburg. The Associated Press reports that McMaster did not specify whether Trump would address the issue of Russian interference in the presidential elections during this meeting. However, the U.S. National Security Advisor stressed that our relationship with Russia is like our relationship with any other country; whenever there are concerns, we discuss them, as well as any problems or opportunities that arise. The Associated Press notes that relations between Washington and Moscow deteriorated during Barack Obama's eight years in office, and Trump had promised during his campaign to improve U.S.-Russia relations. Issues such as Ukraine and Syria are points of contention between the two countries. Additionally, U.S. intelligence agencies have stated that the Kremlin organized a large-scale operation aimed at helping Trump win last year's presidential election, utilizing email hacks and online advertising. Trump had previously described the allegations of Russian interference in the U.S. elections as a Democratic effort to justify their electoral defeat. The U.S. Congress is currently investigating the matter of Russian interference in the presidential elections and its extent.