WASHINGTON/MOSCOW/BUDAPEST/OTTAWA - Russia hopes that the upcoming meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump could help normalize bilateral relations, the Russian daily Izvestia reported Tuesday, citing Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov.

Ryabkov said that the Alaska summit could also help advance the resolution of specific issues, including the resumption of direct passenger flights between the two countries.

"We hope that the forthcoming high-level meeting will give an impulse to the normalization of bilateral relations, which will allow us to move forward on such issues as restoring air links," Ryabkov said.

Russian presidential aide Yuri Ushakov called the choice of venue "logical", noting that the region is where the economic interests of both countries intersect.

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On Monday, Trump said his upcoming meeting with Putin on Friday in Alaska will be a "feel-out meeting".

Speaking at a White House press conference, Trump said a future meeting could also involve Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, or include both the Russian and Ukrainian leaders.

A White House official told reporters on Saturday that Trump remained open to a summit with both leaders.

US Ambassador to NATO Matthew Whitaker said Sunday it was still possible that Zelensky could attend Friday's meeting in Alaska.

"The decision is going to be made by President Trump," Whitaker said. "There's still time to make that decision."

Phone talks between Canadian prime minister, Ukrainian president

Meanwhile, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney spoke by phone with Zelensky, underscoring that any decision on the future of Ukraine must be made by Ukrainians.

According to a statement on the prime minister's official website, the two leaders said the international borders cannot be changed by force.

Carney affirmed Canada's support for Ukraine. Last week, Canada, the European Union, and Britain announced they intend to lower the price cap for Russian crude oil, read the statement.

Speaking in advance of the Trump-Putin meeting, Carney and Zelensky welcomed US efforts to secure peace in Ukraine.

Ukrainian drones

Separately, Russian air defense forces intercepted and destroyed 32 Ukrainian drones overnight and a further seven in the morning, the Russian Defense Ministry said on Monday.

According to the ministry, seven of the drones were downed over the Belgorod Region, five each over the Bryansk and Kaluga Regions, four over Crimea, two each over the Oryol, Kursk, Voronezh, Ryazan and Moscow Regions, and one over the Tula Region.

On Monday morning, the Defense Ministry reported that air defenses shot down another seven Ukrainian drones.

As a result of the drone attack on the Nizhny Novgorod Region, one person was killed and two were injured, the regional governor, Gleb Nikitin, wrote on his Telegram channel.

Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin said that seven drones heading toward the Russian capital were downed in the past hour on Monday morning. "Response teams are working at the site where debris fell," he wrote on Telegram.

Call for ceasefire, dialogue

Also on Monday, Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto reiterated Hungary's position that the Russia-Ukraine conflict should be resolved through diplomacy rather than military confrontation.

He made the remarks in a Facebook post, emphasizing that Hungary has consistently advocated for a ceasefire and diplomatic dialogue.

Szijjarto said Hungary anticipates the Trump-Putin summit, viewing it as a potential step toward peace.

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He also noted that he had discussed the upcoming summit during a phone conversation with Russian Deputy Prime Minister Denis Manturov.