MOSCOW – U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Russian Foreign MinisterSergey Lavrov discussed an upcoming summit between their presidents in aphone call.

According to the State Department, the White House announced last week thatPresident Donald Trump and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin will meeton July 16 in the Finnish capital Helsinki for the much-anticipated summit,adding the two leaders will discuss bilateral relations as well as nationalsecurity issues.

During their phone call, Pompeo and Lavrov also discussed issues related toSyria and North Korea, said the State Department.

A group of Republican members of Congress are also in Moscow for a rarevisit to hold talks with Russian lawmakers ahead of the Trump-Putin summit.