Russia, US step up preparations for Putin-Trump summit

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has confirmed ongoing discussions with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio aimed at preparing the next meeting between President Vladimir Putin and his American counterpart, Donald Trump.

Speaking at a briefing, Lavrov said the two officials had agreed to continue phone contacts to “better understand where we stand and how to move in the right direction,” Caliber.Az reports, citing Russian media.

He stressed that while the location of the summit is important, the priority is advancing the substantive agreements reached at the Anchorage summit.

“The main point is not the place or timing, but how we will move forward on the tasks that were agreed upon and where a broad understanding was achieved in Anchorage,” Lavrov said. He added that during the talks with Rubio, the US had reaffirmed its readiness to implement the commitments made by both presidents.

Meanwhile, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has said it is too early to discuss potential participation by European Union countries in the planned Russia-US summit in Budapest.

Peskov told reporters that details had not yet been considered and cautioned against speculation.

“Such hypothetical assumptions are hardly appropriate at this stage,” Peskov said, noting that significant preparatory work remains to be done.

Earlier reports from Politico suggested that some EU leaders were lobbying to join the summit, but the Kremlin’s comments indicate no decisions have yet been made regarding their involvement.

By Aghakazim Guliyev