In this file photo taken on Nov. 11, 2017, U.S. President Donald Trump (R) and Russian President Vladimir Putin talk as they make their way to take the "family photo" during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) leaders' summit in the central Vietnamese city of Danang. (Xinhua/AFP)

MOSCOW, July 4 (Xinhua) -- 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-U.S. interactions have increased.

A group of U.S. 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.