Putin, Trump may meet on sidelines of APEC summit in Shenzhen
New: The Kremlin says no formal plan exists, but the 18-19 November APEC forum in Shenzhen leaves room for direct contact.
The Kremlin opened the possibility of Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Donald Trump meeting on the sidelines of the APEC 2026 summit in Shenzhen, China, on 18-19 November. Kremlin foreign policy aide Yury Ushakov said a meeting could take place if both leaders attend the forum. However, there is still no signal or formal agenda for such bilateral talks. Ushakov said several other international events remain before the APEC summit. In a separate interview, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov also noted that NATO and European Union countries will not be able to distance themselves from their military assistance to Ukraine. APEC 2026 will bring together 21 member economies in the Asia-Pacific region.