MOSCOW >> Russian President Vladimir Putin is meeting President Donald Trump’s national security adviser John Bolton for talks intended to set the stage for a U.S.-Russian summit.

Putin greeted Bolton in the Kremlin today, noting that U.S.-Russian relations are at a low point, which he said was mostly due to the U.S. political infighting, and voiced hope that Bolton’s visit would make the first steps toward improving ties.

He added that Russia never wanted a confrontation with the U.S., offering to discuss what can be done to “restore full-fledged relations based on equality and mutual respect.”

Bolton said he was looking forward to discussing “how to improve Russia-U.S. relations and find areas where we can agree and make progress together.”

He added that when Moscow and Washington had differences in the past, Russian and U.S. leaders met and that was “good for both countries, good for stability in the world.” Bolton noted that “President Trump feels very strongly on that subject.”

Bolton said that he would like to hear Putin’s account of “how you handled the World Cup so successfully” in anticipation of the United States co-hosting the 2026 World Cup.