The key facts
- Ushakov: none of the capitals has rejected the idea of a trilateral meeting at the APEC summit in Shenzhen on November 18–19
- Peskov: the US wants to discuss strategic stability and nuclear disarmament, while China, according to him, is not interested
- According to WSJ, Putin proposed the meeting in a conversation with Trump on October 9; Peskov confirmed only a hypothetical possibility
The idea of a trilateral meeting has not been rejected by any of the parties
Russian presidential aide Yuri Ushakov told journalists on Wednesday, October 21, that neither Moscow, nor Washington, nor Beijing rules out a possible meeting of the presidents of the three countries on the sidelines of the APEC summit, which will take place in Shenzhen, China, on November 18–19. He spoke to the press after talks between Vladimir Putin and US special envoy Steve Witkoff in Saint Petersburg. According to Ushakov, the topic of the meeting, which, as he noted, has aroused 'enormous global interest,' was also discussed during those talks.
China is ready to include the meeting in the program under favorable circumstances
Ushakov said that the Chinese side, which is hosting the summit, is already preparing for such a meeting and will include it in the program of events 'if the circumstances are favorable.' About the content of the possible meeting, he said only that Moscow has put forward a number of 'practical considerations,' without revealing details.
Peskov: 'hypothetical readiness' and talk of a 'new Yalta' are incorrect
Earlier the same day, Kremlin press secretary Dmitry Peskov said that all parties have a 'hypothetical readiness' to hold a trilateral meeting. According to him, the US seeks to discuss issues of strategic stability and nuclear disarmament at such a meeting, but China is not interested in this. Peskov added that formulations like a 'new Yalta' are inaccurate, but a meeting of the leaders of the US, China and Russia would certainly attract the attention of the whole world.
Origin of the idea: the Putin–Trump conversation on October 9
On Monday, The Wall Street Journal, citing a former Russian intelligence officer familiar with the situation, reported that Putin proposed a trilateral meeting during a telephone conversation with US President Donald Trump on October 9, devoted to the war in Ukraine and finding a way to end it on terms favorable to Moscow. At the time, Peskov confirmed to WSJ that discussion is possible and that all three parties 'allow for the hypothetical possibility of such a meeting,' but stressed that no specific proposals or agreements — neither about the meeting itself, nor about its agenda or content — had been put forward by anyone.
