According to US Ambassador to Russia Jon Huntsman Jr., Trump hopes that the upcoming meeting in Helsinki with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin will reduce tensions between Moscow and Washington.
"The president [Trump] hopes the meeting will help reduce tensions and meet the constructive engagement that approves peace and security of our world," Huntsman said.
The United States aims to have a good relationship with Russia, but it is up to Moscow to choose its line of behavior, Huntsman added.
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Huntsman also said that a range of security issues would be discussed by the two leaders during their one-on-one meeting, followed by extended bilateral talks and lunch.
"President Trump will then participate in one-on-one bilateral meeting with President Putin of Russia, and then an expanded bilateral meeting will follow that, and then a working lunch with President Putin," Huntsman said in a phone call.
The top official noted that the US didn't rule out that there would be a concrete agreement after the meeting.
On June 28, the Kremlin and White House simultaneously announced that Putin and Trump were scheduled to hold talks in Helsinki, Finland on July 16 in order to discuss a range of international issues.
