Putin hopes US security advisor's visit will help mend ties

MOSCOW - Russian President Vladimir Putin said Wednesday that he hopes US National Security Advisor John Bolton's visit here will help restore relations between Washington and Moscow.

"Your arrival in Moscow gives us the hope that we will be able to make at least the first steps towards restoring full-format relations between our countries," Putin said in televised remarks before a closed-door meeting with Bolton in the Kremlin.

Putin said that although Russia never seeks confrontation, Russia-US relations are "not in the best shape."

He said he believes that this is largely the result of acute domestic political struggle in the United States.

Bolton said previous meetings between leaders of the two countries and their advisors have helped overcome serious disagreements and guarantee stability in the world.

He assured Putin that US President Donald Trump is committed to achieving these goals.

Earlier in the day, Bolton met representatives of the Russian Security Council and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.

The Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement that Lavrov and Bolton "exchanged views on topical issues of the international agenda, including the situation around Syria and Ukraine."

Considerable attention was paid to the issue of bilateral relations, the ministry added.

Bolton is expected to reach some agreement in Moscow on a potential meeting between Putin and Trump in the near future.