Bolton Met Russian Ambassador Antonov at White House to Discuss Ukraine, Syria

"Ambassador John R. Bolton met with Ambassador Anatoly Antonov of Russia today in the White House. At the first meeting between the two in their current roles, they discussed the state of the relationships between the United States and Russia," the statement said on Thursday.

"Ambassador Bolton reiterated that it is in the interest of both the United States and Russia to have better relations, but that this will require addressing our concerns regarding Russia’s interference in the 2016 election, the reckless use of chemical weapons in the United Kingdom, and the situations in Ukraine and Syria," the statement said.

Earlier, Russian Ambassador to the United States Anatoly Antonov said that Russia and the United States need each other to work on boosting the international security, adding that such cooperation "meets the interests of the Russian and American people.

Bolton started his role as Trump’s new national security adviser last week, taking over for H.R. McMaster. The former US ambassador to the UN has been criticized by critics, especially Democrats, about his aggressive stances on foreign policy issues including North Korea and Iran.