Shafaq News- Moscow

Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump discussed the possibility of meeting Chinese President Xi Jinping at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in China, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said on Wednesday.

Peskov said the possibility of a trilateral meeting had been raised previously and that there would be an opportunity for such talks on the sidelines of the summit.

He also said Moscow hoped trilateral talks with Ukraine and the United States on ending the war would resume in the foreseeable future, with Russia continuing contacts with Washington.

Peskov said no formal roadmap for a settlement had yet been drawn up and that Moscow would not publicly discuss individual proposals.

He claimed that Ukraine’s worsening economic conditions and shortages of money and weapons had prompted Kyiv to show greater “flexibility,” but said the shift remained insufficient for a settlement. He said Kyiv knew what compromises Moscow expected and expressed hope that Ukrainian authorities would be open to US efforts to facilitate an agreement.

Last week, Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov said Putin, Trump and Xi could hold a trilateral meeting during the APEC summit. He said the possibility had been discussed and that all three leaders were expected to attend, although the White House had not confirmed Trump’s participation.

The summit is scheduled for Nov. 18-19 in the Chinese city of Shenzhen.