Russia has said it has not ruled out a possible trilateral meeting involving President Vladimir Putin, US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping, although Moscow says more discussions are needed before preparations can begin.
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said on Sunday that the possibility of such a meeting remained open, but stressed that its agenda and expected outcome would first need to be established.
“Here, the main question boils down to how the substance of the meeting will be formulated, and what we can expect as a result,” Ryabkov said, according to Russia’s state news agency TASS.
Ryabkov’s comments came after Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov previously raised the possibility of Putin, Trump and Xi holding talks on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation, or APEC, summit in China in November.
The proposed meeting has not been formally confirmed by Russia, the United States or China. Instead, Moscow’s latest statement indicates that the idea remains under consideration while officials assess what could be achieved from such a gathering.
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Ushakov had earlier said that the possibility of a meeting between the three leaders had been discussed. He suggested that the leaders could meet if circumstances allowed during the APEC summit, which is scheduled to take place in Shenzhen, China.
A Putin-Trump-Xi meeting would attract considerable international attention because Russia, the United States and China are among the world’s most powerful military and economic powers. Their leaders could potentially use such a gathering to discuss major international issues, including security, trade and diplomatic relations.
The development also comes as Washington continues efforts to revive negotiations aimed at ending the war in Ukraine.
US special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, President Trump’s son-in-law and adviser, met Putin in Moscow on Saturday as part of renewed American diplomatic efforts over the conflict. The Kremlin described the discussions as useful, while the talks focused on efforts to advance negotiations aimed at finding a possible resolution to the war.
The proposed trilateral meeting could therefore take place against the backdrop of continuing diplomatic efforts involving Washington and Moscow, although there has been no announcement that it would be used specifically to negotiate an end to the Ukraine war.
For now, Moscow appears to be keeping the possibility open without committing to a date or formal arrangements. Ryabkov’s comments suggest that Russia wants the three sides to establish a clear purpose and agenda before moving forward.
Whether Putin, Trump and Xi eventually meet will depend on further discussions between the three governments and agreement on what such a meeting would seek to accomplish.
