Process To Set Up Trump-Putin Summit Has Begun; London Is Alarmed

June 21, 2018 (EIRNS)—U.S. National Security Council spokesman Garrett Marquis wrote in his Twitter account this morning that U.S. National Security Advisor

“John Bolton will visit London and Rome on June 25-27 to discuss national security issues with British and Italian officials and travel to Moscow for consultations on a potential meeting between U.S. and Russian Presidents Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin.”

Marquis did not mention when Bolton will be in Moscow, nor did he specify either the date or the venue for the potential summit, TASS reported today.

“Putin and Trump held a telephone conversation on March 20. According to the Kremlin press service, after the phone call, the top Russian and U.S. diplomats were directed to explore the issue,”

TASS reported today.

In earlier coverage TASS cited Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov telling reporters today about Bolton’s proposed visit, saying, “as far as we know, such a visit is going to take place. This is all we can say for now.” Also before the Marquis posting, TASS had quoted Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov saying that, “Moscow is open to contacts with the U.S. on all issues, but it will not react to leaks concerning the possibility of a Russia-U.S. summit.”

The British, however, are quite alarmed that a Trump-Putin summit will occur before the July 11-12 NATO summit. Citing unnamed “Whitehall” (British government) sources, The Times of London writes today that the British are

“appalled” that U.S. President Donald Trump’s meeting with Russia’s President Vladimir Putin could take place before the NATO summit and his subsequent visit to Britain.

“The prospect of a meeting between Mr. Trump and Mr. Putin appalls British officials,”

wrote The Times.

“ ‘It’s unclear if this meeting is after or before NATO and the U.K. visit,’ a Whitehall official said. ‘Obviously after would be better for us. It adds another dynamic to an already colorful week.’ ”

The Brits fear a meeting between Putin and Trump could endanger NATO’s “shared goals”—meaning shared with the British Empire’s geopolitical aims.

The Times wrote further that,

“A senior Western diplomatic source said that a Trump-Putin meeting before the NATO summit would cause ‘dismay and alarm,’ adding, ‘It would be a highly negative thing to do.’ ”

The NATO summit in Brussels “is due to discuss an escalation of measures to deter Russian aggression,” wrote The Times. “ ‘Everyone is perturbed by what is going on and is fearing for the future of the alliance,’ a Whitehall source said.”