Kremlin says Xi may push for trilateral summit with Trump, Putin at APEC

Chinese President Xi Jinping may seek to convene a trilateral summit with the leaders of the United States and Russia on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit, which China is hosting next month.

Yuri Ushakov, a foreign policy aide at the Kremlin, said in an interview with Russian state broadcaster Vesti on Tuesday (local time) that President Vladimir Putin plans to attend the APEC summit as scheduled.

Ushakov added that if the US president also attends, "it is highly likely that Xi, as the host country's leader, will take steps to hold a trilateral meeting."

However, he said no concrete agreement had been reached and that Donald Trump's attendance was not 100 percent certain, while adding, "If the three leaders gather, I think it would be natural for them to hold talks."

Ushakov had previously signaled the possibility of such a meeting on Sept. 1, saying, "If things go as planned, a three-way meeting could come together."