Russia Floats APEC Trilateral as Putin Rejects Kyiv Talks
On.cc · 5 SOURCESabout 19 hours ago2 MIN
Summary
Russia has publicly floated the possibility of a trilateral meeting among President Xi Jinping, US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin during the APEC leaders' meeting in Shenzhen on November 18-19. Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov said the idea was discussed after Putin met Xi in Bishkek during the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit, but any such meeting would depend in part on whether Trump attends. Beijing has not confirmed the plan, with the Chinese foreign ministry saying only that it had no information to provide and that China, as APEC host, wanted to work with all parties for a successful APEC year. On the same day, Putin also said Russia was gaining ground in the war and that Moscow could not negotiate with what he called Ukraine's “terrorist” leadership
Key Points
- Ushakov said in Bishkek on September 1 that Putin had raised with China the idea of a China-US-Russia leaders' meeting during the APEC summit in Shenzhen.
- Russian accounts said the three leaders could meet if Xi, Trump and Putin all attend, while Ushakov described at least bilateral contacts with everyone as necessary.
- The 33rd APEC Leaders' Informal Meeting is scheduled for November 18-19 in Shenzhen, according to previously announced arrangements cited by multiple reports.
- The White House had not responded to the reported proposal, while Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said Beijing had no further information to offer.
- Putin said Ukrainian attacks inside Russia had caused real damage, including to refineries, but insisted Russian forces were advancing and dismissed fresh mobilisation rumours as nonsense
Why It Matters
For Hong Kong readers, the story puts Shenzhen's APEC meeting at the centre of late-year great-power diplomacy, with any leaders' encounter likely to shape the regional political and economic atmosphere around southern China. Beijing's cautious public response and Washington's silence also show that even if the venue is fixed, the diplomatic substance remains unsettled.