Russian presidential aide Vladislav Surkov and United States Special Representative for Ukraine Negotiations Kurt Volker may meet in Minsk next week, an informed source told Interfax on Thursday.

"The meeting is due to take place in Minsk in the first half of next week," the source said.

Alexei Chesnakov, Director of the Center for Current Politics (CPC), said on his Facebook page earlier this week that Surkov might meet with Volker in Minsk. He said the meeting date "may be agreed upon in the coming days."

The United States proposed holding the meeting in Vienna, while Russia preferred Kaliningrad.

U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson appointed former U.S. Ambassador to NATO Volker as the Special Representative for Ukraine Negotiations on July 7.

The appointment was made against the backdrop of slow progress in the Ukraine settlement, on the day when U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin were due to have their first face-to-face, observers said.

This is the first time the U.S. Department of State has established a position of special representative for Ukraine negotiations. Prior to that, Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs Victoria Nuland supervised Ukraine affairs in the Department of State.