ANCHORAGE, Alaska, on August 15. /TASS/. The West's rejection of further attempts to isolate Russia and progress on Ukraine would benefit everyone, including the United States and its NATO allies, Jack Matlock, former American ambassador to the Soviet Union, said commenting on upcoming talks between Presidents of Russia and the US, Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump.

"If the meeting outlines realistic steps to end the hostilities in Ukraine and to abandon attempts to isolate Russia, all, including America’s NATO allies, will benefit.," he told TASS. He also said he could reasonably declare the benefits of the high-level meetings that were held and are being held by Moscow and Washington.

"As one who helped prepare for and participated in most US-USSR summit meetings, I can testify to their usefulness. They were essential in ending the Cold War to the benefit of all countries. Therefore, I welcome the upcoming meeting of Presidents Trump and Putin," Matlock said.

He headed the American diplomatic mission in Moscow in 1987-1991 under U.S. President George H. W. Bush. In 1981-1983, Matlock was ambassador to Czechoslovakia, and in 1983-1986, he was special assistant to U.S. President Ronald Reagan and senior director of the White House National Security Council for European and Soviet Affairs.

In recent years, Matlock has consistently advocated Washington's abandonment of the course of confrontation with Russia, criticized NATO and the policy of expanding this alliance, pointing out that it has turned into an offensive one. He stressed that Russia would not have launched a special military operation in Ukraine if the West had not continued its attempts to drag Ukraine into NATO, and spoke in favor of Washington's negotiations with Moscow.

Russian Presidential Aide Yury Ushakov said the summit will begin on August 15 in Anchorage at 22:30 Moscow time. It will be opened by a one-on-one conversation, where besides the leaders, only interpreters will participate. According to him, the central topic of the meeting will be the settlement of the Ukrainian crisis, but Putin and Trump will also touch upon "broader tasks to ensure peace and security, as well as current and most pressing international and regional issues.".