Donald Trump, the US president, will challenge Russia's Vladimir Putin over Moscow's election meddling during their July 16 summit in Helsinki, senior US officials have said.

The Kremlin’s interference in Western democracies is due to be discussed as well as arms control, the future of Ukraine and the Syrian civil war.

Jon Huntsman, the US ambassador to Russia, said in a briefing on Thursday that the Trump administration would approach the talks with “eyes wide open”. He said Mr Trump would “hold Russia accountable for its malign activities” and put the protection of the American people first.

Mr Huntsman also defended the decision to hold a face-to-face meeting, saying: “You can't solve problems by not talking about them.”