President Trump plans to confront Russian President Vladimir Putin on Moscow’s malign activity around the globe, including election-meddling, when the two leaders meet for a high-stakes summit next week, top administration officials said Thursday.
Jon Huntsman, U.S. ambassador to Russia, said that Mr. Trump wants to improve bilateral relations but does not intend to let Mr. Putin off the hook for aggression in Ukraine and interfering in the 2016 U.S. presidential election.
“The ball is really in Russia’s court and the president will continue to hold Russia responsible for its malign activity,” Mr. Huntsman told reporters.
Mr. Trump and Mr. Putin will meet July 15 in Helsinki, Finland. It will be the first formal summit between the two leaders, although they’ve met twice before.
Mr. Huntsman said the U.S. has repeatedly confronted Russia about the election hacking, despite Mr. Trump frequently diminishing the issue and repeating Mr. Putin’s own denials of meddling.
Mr. Trump and Mr. Putin will meet alone at the summit because the president decided that this is the right time for direct communication, said Mr. Huntsman. But it will also take place under the cloud of special counsel Robert Mueller’s ongoing probe into potential links between the Trump campaign and the Kremlin during the 2016 vote.
Mr. Putin is not expected to budge on key areas of conflict with the West, including the annexation of Crimea, support of separatist movements in eastern Ukraine and backing President Bashar Assad’s regime in Syria.
At the top of the Russian leader’s agenda is getting Mr. Trump to ease sanctions on Russia and working out an endgame for the Syrian civil war, where Mr. Assad appears on the verge of winning the bloody seven-year civil war.
Mr. Trump’s political opponents in the U.S. will be looking for any sign that the president goes easy on Mr. Putin, which they would say bolster allegations of Trump campaign collusion with Moscow to hack the 2016 presidential election.
Mr. Huntsman said the president recognizes the challenge of dealing with Russia, and that every president since the end of the Cold War has failed to improve the relationship.
“The president’s priority is to protect the American people and American interests, including those of our allies and partners,” he said. “We’re entering with our eyes wide open, but peace is always worth the effort.”
The summit also will include a bilateral meeting and a working lunch between Mr. Trump and Mr. Putin.
The summit will follow a NATO meeting in Brussels where Russia will also top the agenda, said U.S. Ambassador to NATO Kay Bailey Hutchison. Many NATO states, particularly along the eastern border with Russia, have become increasingly alarmed about recent aggressive moves by Russia’s military.
Ms. Hutchison said a major issue at the NATO meeting in Brussels will be strengthening the alliance’s deterrent to Russia. Mr. Trump is also expected to press his argument that many NATO allies are still falling far short of their promises to increase defense spending to contribute to the collective defense.
Mrs. Hutchison and Mr. Huntsman briefed reports on the president’s upcoming trip to Europe, which will also include a visit to the United Kingdom.
Mr. Huntsman said the president believes an improved relationship with Russia is in both countries’ interest and in the interest of world peace.
“You can’t solve problems if you are not talking about them,” he said.
• S.A. Miller can be reached at smiller@washingtontimes.com.
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