President Donald Trump still wants to host Russian President Vladimir Putin at the White House, but now he thinks it would be better to wait until 2019.
“The President believes that the next bilateral meeting with President Putin should take place after the Russia witch hunt is over, so we’ve agreed that it will be after the first of the year,” White House National Security Advisor John Bolton said in a statement to reporters on Wednesday.
Previously, Trump had instructed Bolton to invite Putin to Washington, D.C. in the fall.
The White House postponed Putin’s invitation after both Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and House Speaker Paul Ryan said that the Russian president would not be welcome to address members of Congress.
“The Speaker and I have made it clear that Putin will not be welcome up here at the Capitol,” McConnell said on Tuesday.
McConnell and Ryan met with Trump on Wednesday to discuss legislative issues and the confirmation of Supreme Court Nominee Brett Kavanaugh.