WASHINGTON (Sputnik) – The upcoming meeting of US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin will enable US-Russia relations to grow in a positive direction, former US Ambassador to Switzerland Ed McMullen told Sputnik.

«Dialogue and advancing bilateral interests enables US/Russian relations to grow in a positive direction. This is the hallmark of President Trump’s successful foreign policy,» McMullen said.

Trump and Putin will hold their meeting at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson on the northern outskirts of Anchorage in Alaska on Friday. This is the leaders’ first face-to-face meeting since Trump’s reelection and their last summit in 2019. According to the White House, the meeting will begin at 11:00 a.m. local time (19:00 GMT).

The Putin-Trump summit will discuss the settlement of the Ukraine crisis, as well as broader issues of ensuring peace and security, and bilateral relations.