A meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Donald Trump at the G20 summit next month will clarify the issue of cooperation between their two countries, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said today.

U.S.-Russia relations are of "special importance" because "the solution to many issues, from maintaining strategic stability to settling regional crises," depends upon them, Lavrov said.

The foreign minister characterized the current situation as “abnormal” due to political in-fighting in Washington. However, the two presidents' meeting in Hamburg will likely “bring clarity on the prospects of Russo-American cooperation,” he said.

The Trump-Putin meeting — the first between the two leaders — was announced yesterday by U.S. National Security Advisor H.R. McMaster.

“It won’t be different from our discussions with any other country, really,” McMaster told Reuters. “There is no specific agenda. It’s really going to be whatever the president wants to talk about.”

The last time Trump spoke with Russian officials, he faced accusations of leaking confidential information about the Islamic State in Syria provided to the U.S. government by Israeli intelligence.



The annual G20 summit, which brings together world leaders and central bank governors from 20 major economies, will to be held in Hamburg, Germany on July 7 and 8.