US Secretary of State: Possible meeting between Putin, Trump, Xi at APEC summit sidelines being discussed

The possibility of a meeting between US President Donald Trump, Russian head of state Vladimir Putin, and Chinese leader Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the APEC summit in Vietnam is being discussed, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters, TASS reports.

"I think there have been talks of a meeting. I don't know [if] anything has been finalized, but the president (Trump – TASS) has been clear: he'd like the war in Ukraine and Russia to end," the top US diplomat said.

Earlier, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov told The Wall Street Journal that Russia, the US, and China acknowledge the possibility of a trilateral meeting, although there is no clear understanding yet on its organization or potential agenda.

Russian President Vladimir Putin may meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping and US President Donald Trump on the sidelines of the APEC summit, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Sunday.

“It will be a good opportunity for the leaders to cross paths in one way or another on the sidelines [of the summit]. Whether it will be a separate trilateral meeting or bilateral meetings, it is difficult to say. Although it is already clear that both Putin and President Xi have agreed that they will meet in China. We will see, but the opportunity will definitely be there,” Peskov told Russian media.

The Kremlin expects that Vladimir Putin will attend the summit in China, Peskov said: "We proceed from the assumption that President Putin will also attend the APEC summit."

Plans to attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit were already announced earlier, the spokesman added.

The Russian president said that he intended to attend the APEC summit, but the final decision would depend on the situation in the country.

The APEC summit will be held in Shenzhen, China, on November 18-19.

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