Donald Trump says he will probably meet with Vladimir Putin in Paris

WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump said Tuesday he will "probably" meet with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin next month in Paris amid protests of Trump's decision to withdraw from a longstanding nuclear weapons treaty.

"We may – it's being discussed right now," Trump told reporters at the White House. "I think we probably will."

Trump and Putin will both be in Paris on Nov. 11 for a ceremony to mark the 100th anniversary of the end of World War I.

Citing "unprovoked moves that are hard to call friendly," Putin told U.S. National Security Adviser John Bolton during a meeting in Moscow earlier in the day that direct dialogue would be useful, "for example in Paris, if the American side is interested."

Bolton said that, "yes, in fact, President Trump would look forward to meeting with him in Paris" on the sidelines of the war commemoration.

Trump was criticized after a meeting in Helsinki in July after he appeared to side with Putin's denials over the conclusions of U.S. intelligence officials who said Russia interfered in the 2016 election to benefit Trump.

More: Dismissing Russian concerns, John Bolton says there is no way to salvage nuclear weapons treaty

Their next meeting would likely cover Trump's recent decision to pull the United States out of the 1987 Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty, known as the INF.

Trump said Russia is not abiding by the treaty, and the United States needs to build up its nuclear arsenal to meet the threats of the Russians and the Chinese.

"We have more money than anybody else, by far, (and) we'll build it up until they come to their senses," Trump said.

Many governments, including the Barack Obama administration, have accused Russia of developing weapons systems that violate the treaty, designed to ban land-based cruise and ballistic missiles with an intermediate range between 310 and 3,410 miles.

On Monday, NATO again protested a lack of information about a new Russian weapons system, saying that "in the absence of any credible answer from Russia on this new missile, allies believe that the most plausible assessment would be that Russia is in violation of the INF Treaty."

Russia says is in compliance with the treaty.

While no formal bilateral Trump-Putin meeting is planned in Paris, neither side has ruled out a more informal get-together in Paris. The two leaders held an impromptu meeting last November on the sidelines of an Asian economic summit in Vietnam.

Trump and Putin also met in Hamburg last year and in Helsinki in July.

The Paris trip is being scheduled as special counsel Robert Mueller investigates whether the Russians worked with the Trump campaign as part of their 2016 election interference.

Trump has denied any collusion, as well as claims he has tried to obstruct the investigation. He described the entire Russia investigation as a "witch hunt" by Democratic opponents.

Bolton said he told Putin that Russia's meddling in the 2016 election had no impact on the outcome but did sour U.S.-Russia relations.

"The outcome would have been exactly the same by all the evidence we have seen," Bolton told reporters at a press conference in Moscow as he wrapped his meetings there. "What the meddling did create was distrust and animosity within the United States and made it almost impossible for two years for Russia and the United States to make progress diplomatically."

Voter turnout: Trump campaign pledges 10 more rallies before midterm election

Trump agenda: Exclusive: Donald Trump, buoyed by the campaign, looks ahead to a post-midterm presidency

Immigration: Exclusive: President Trump vows to send as many troops to the border ‘as necessary’ to stop caravan