Putin, Trump may meet next week at APEC summit
MOSCOW – Reuters
Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Donald Trump may meet next week at an Asian economic summit amid strains over sanctions against Moscow, the Syria conflict and the investigation into alleged Russian meddling in the 2016 U.S. presidential campaign.
The Kremlin on Nov. 3 said talks were under way to set up an encounter at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Danang, Vietnam, from Nov. 8-10.
Trump told Fox News in an interview late on Nov. 2 that it was possible he would meet with Putin during the trip.
“We may have a meeting with Putin,” he said. “And, again - Putin is very important because they can help us with North Korea. They can help us with Syria. We have to talk about Ukraine.”
Representatives for the White House did not immediately reply to a request for comment on Nov. 3.
“It (the meeting) is indeed being discussed,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters. “It’s hard to overestimate the importance and significance for all international matters of any contact between the presidents of Russia and the United States.”
Putin and Trump first met at a G20 summit in Hamburg in July when they discussed allegations of Russian meddling in the U.S. election last year but agreed to focus on better ties rather than litigating the past.
But relations between Moscow and Washington have soured further since then.
