The Kremlin on Monday said that Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump can discuss “all other issues” except Crimea, at their highly anticipated first summit this month.
Mr. Putin has “repeatedly stated and explained that Crimea cannot be and will never be on the agenda because it is an inseparable part of Russia,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters. “All other issues are ones of consensus, discussion and finding possible points of contact,” he added. On Saturday, Mr. Trump refused to rule out accepting Russia’s annexation of Crimea when he meets Mr. Putin for a first one-on-one summit of the two leaders in Helsinki on July 16.
Mr. Trump has reluctantly approved the dispatch of U.S. anti-tank missiles to support Ukraine forces, and other senior U.S. officials continue to insist sanctions will remain until Moscow backs down. But Mr. Trump has long supported warmer relations with Russia, and Western diplomats based in Washington have begun to fear that he could make major concessions in Helsinki.
