HELSINKI Finland’s President Sauli Niinisto said on Friday the nation is unlikely to host an Arctic summit at short notice, quashing the prospect of an imminent meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and Russia’s President Vladimir Putin.
“That a summit could be arranged hastily, seems impossible, and I have not proposed that… The G20 meeting in Germany will likely be the first meeting for presidents Trump and Putin”, Niinisto said at a news conference at the Presidential Palace.
Trump is expected to be among the leaders attending the G20 summit in Hamburg on July 7 and 8.
Putin said on Thursday he was ready to meet Trump at an Arctic summit in Finland. He made the remark while responding to his Finnish counterpart, who said he would be happy to receive the Russian and U.S. presidents in Finland.
Finland will take over the Arctic Council’s chairmanship in May and has said it is willing to host a high-level council meeting during its two-year presidency.
Member states of the Arctic Council include Finland, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Iceland, Russia, United States and Canada.
(Reporting by Tuomas Forsell; Editing by Julia Glover)
