U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin will meet for their first summit on July 16th in Helsinki.
Now the big question on everyone's lips is.... will the meeting lead to a thaw in Washington-Moscow relations?
Ro Aram reports.
The date and location of the Trump-Putin summit were announced simultaneously by the White House and the Kremlin on Thursday.
The White House said in its statement that the two leaders will discuss relations between the two nations and a range of national security issues.
The Kremlin issued a similar statement.
It remains to be seen whether or not contentious issues, such as alleged Russian election meddling, will be touched upon.
That is one issue that has sent tensions between Washington and Moscow spiraling into a near Cold-War low.
Helsinki, the venue for the summit, as it turns out is famed for its Cold War diplomacy.
The date, July 16th, has also been set to follow Trump's trip to a NATO summit in Brussels and a stop in Britain.
NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg welcomed the talks, saying he also wants a better relationship with Russia.
For Putin, the summit will offer a chance to try to persuade Washington to lift some of the sanctions imposed on his country.
They were imposed over Russia's 2014 annexation of Crimea, its support for separatists fighting the government in eastern Ukraine and its alleged meddling in the 2016 U.S. presidential election.
However, the upcoming meeting will be closely watched by U.S. allies in Europe and Russia sceptics who want to isolate Moscow over its leader's continued hostility towards the West.
They are also concerned that Trump is being a bit too friendly with Putin.
The pair have met before on the sidelines of international gatherings and have spoken on the phone at least eight times.
Ro Aram, Arirang News.
