The celebrations for the centenary of the ceasefire at the end of the First World War in Paris will see a meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and his US counterpart Donald Trump.
Russian media reported that Putin proposed this. The Kremlin chief met with Trump's security adviser John Boltin on Tuesday. After the announced US exit from the disarmament agreement INF Putin wanted to talk about it with Trump.
"Of course, it would make sense to continue the direct dialogue with the US President at international events that will take place in the near future," Putin said. "Of course only if the American side is interested in these contacts." According to reports, Bolton said Trump would be happy to meet Putin.
Trump had announced that he wanted to get out of the contract. The 1987 agreement between the US and the then Soviet Union prohibited the construction and possession of land-based, nuclear-armed missiles or cruise missiles with a range of 500 to 5500 kilometers. The US and Russia accuse each other of breaking the contract.
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At the beginning of September, the US President had agreed to travel to the French capital on the occasion of World War II commemoration on 11 November. A week ago, Putin also announced his participation. A meeting of the two presidents was not planned so far.
Trump and Putin had met in Helsinki in July for their first bilateral summit. Relations between the US and Russia are tense. The US intelligence agencies accuse Russia of meddling in the US election campaign in favor of Trump, who is seeking a good relationship with Putin.
Washington also accuses Moscow of being responsible for the poisoning of Russian double agent Sergej Skripal in the UK. Tensions have also been causing the Ukraine conflict for years, in which, according to the West, Moscow supports the pro-Russian rebels militarily.