Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov (R) greets US Senator Richard Shelby (L) during his meeting with US congressional delegation in Moscow, Russia, on July 3, 2018. (AFP PHOTO)

MOSCOW, July 3 (Xinhua) -- Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo discussed by telephone the preparations for the meeting between the presidents of the two countries in July, the Russian Foreign Ministry said Tuesday.

During the telephone conversation on the initiative of the U.S. side, the foreign ministers discussed the preparations of the upcoming contact between Russian President Vladimir Putin and his U.S. counterpart Donald Trump, as well as prospects for further building bilateral relations, including in the area of strategic stability, according to a ministry statement.

On Thursday, the Kremlin and the White House announced that Putin and Trump would hold a full-fledged summit in Finland's capital Helsinki on July 16. The two leaders are expected to discuss Russia-U.S. relations, national security and top international issues.

Lavrov and Pompeo also touched upon topical issues on the global agenda, such as the situation around Syria and the Korean Peninsula issue, the statement said.

Earlier in the day, Lavrov also met with a visiting U.S. congress delegation. The two sides exchanged views on the current state and prospect of bilateral relations as well as the upcoming summit in Helsinki, including the possibilities of restoring contacts of legislative bodies, according to a separate statement.