U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin will meet for their first summit on July 16th in Helsinki.<br />For more on this and other news around the world we turn to our Ro Aram…<br />Aram.... the big question on everyone's lips: will we see a thaw in relations between the U.S. and Russia?<br /><br /> Well Mark… it is hard to tell at the moment, but it is a first step towards reaching that goal.<br /> It will all come down to what is discussed between the two leaders and if any concrete results come of their talks. <br />The date and location were announced simultaneously by the White House and the Kremlin on Thursday.<br /> The White House said in its statement that the two leaders will discuss relations between the two nations and a range of national security issues.<br />The Kremlin issued a similar statement. <br />It remains to be seen whether or not contentious issues, such as alleged Russian election meddling, will be touched upon.<br />That is one issue that has sent tensions between Washington and Moscow spiraling into a near Cold-War low.<br />Helsinki, the venue for the summit, as it turns out is famed for its Cold War diplomacy.<br />The date, July 16th, has also been set to follow Trump's trip to a NATO summit in Brussels and a stop in Britain.<br />NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg welcomed the talks, saying he also wants a better relationship with Russia.<br /> For Putin, the summit will offer a chance to try to persuade Washington to lift some of the sanctions imposed on his country.<br />They were imposed over Russia's 2014 annexation of Crimea, its support for separatists fighting the government in eastern Ukraine and its alleged meddling in the 2016 U.S. presidential election.<br /> However, the upcoming meeting will be closely watched by U.S. allies in Europe and Russia sceptics who want to isolate Moscow over its leader's continued hostility towards the West.<br />They are also concerned that Trump is being a bit too friendly with Putin. <br />The pair have met before on the sidelines of international gatherings and have spoken on the phone at least eight times. <br />
