MOSCOW -- Russian President Vladimir Putin wished his American counterpart Donald Trump a happy Independence Day on Wednesday, the Kremlin said.

The message came as both countries are preparing for a long-anticipated meeting between Putin and Trump in Helsinki on July 16.

Since the announcement of the summit last week, Russian-US interactions have increased.

A group of US congressmen arrived in Russia on June 30 and held a number of meetings with Russian lawmakers in St. Petersburg and Moscow, while a delegation of Russian lawmakers plans to visit the United States in autumn.