Kremlin raises prospect of Putin-Xi-Trump meeting at APEC
A Kremlin aide said Tuesday that Russian President Vladimir Putin, S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping may hold a trilateral meeting at the next summit of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum.
Yuri Ushakov, a foreign policy aide to Putin, was asked on Russian state television about the possibility of such a meeting and replied, "This issue was discussed, yes." He said all three leaders were expected to attend the summit, adding: "And if it turns out as has been said, then the three of them will be able to have a meeting."
Ushakov was speaking from Bishkek, the capital of Kyrgyzstan, where Putin and Xi had attended a gathering of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation.
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the matter.
APEC summit in Shenzhen
Leaders of the 21-member APEC grouping are scheduled to meet in Shenzhen, China, on November 18 and 19, setting up the possibility of Xi and Trump meeting four times this year, according to the South China Morning Post.
Putin confirmed in May his intention to attend the APEC meeting, but Trump has not yet done so. Ushakov's comments suggested that Trump's attendance was still uncertain, with the aide saying a trilateral meeting could happen "if it turns out as has been said."
Conditional attendance
The South China Morning Post reported that Trump's presence at APEC may depend in part on whether Xi agrees to attend the December 14-15 Group of 20 meeting at the S. president's Doral golf course resort in Florida. That condition was not mentioned in the Globe and Mail's account of Ushakov's remarks.
Neither outlet reported whether the White House had responded to the Kremlin's statement beyond the initial lack of comment, and no other official statements from the S. or Chinese governments were cited in either account.