The key facts
- Oleksandr Merezhko believes a meeting without Ukraine and the Europeans would be dangerous for Kyiv
- Preparations for the trilateral meeting of Putin, Trump and Xi Jinping have already begun
- A bilateral meeting between Putin and Trump is possible at the APEC summit in Shenzhen, but no agreement has been reached yet
Kyiv's demand
Ukraine must take part in the proposed trilateral meeting of the leaders of Russia, the United States and China — Vladimir Putin, Donald Trump and Xi Jinping. This statement was made by Oleksandr Merezhko, chairman of the Verkhovna Rada committee on foreign policy and interparliamentary cooperation, as reported by Gazeta.Ru. “The presence of Ukraine and our European partners would guarantee that no decisions on forcing Ukraine to capitulate would be made there,” the lawmaker stressed. According to him, a meeting of the three leaders without the participation of Europeans and Ukrainians would be extremely dangerous for Kyiv.
What is known about the possible meetings
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that Putin and Trump may hold a bilateral meeting at the November APEC summit in Shenzhen, but no final agreement has been reached yet. Russian presidential aide Yuri Ushakov added that the leaders of the two countries may also talk on the sidelines of protocol events. In addition, according to available information, preparations for a trilateral meeting of Putin, Trump and Xi Jinping have already begun. Thus, the Ukrainian parliamentarian's statement concerns a format not yet confirmed by any agreements: neither the date nor the participation of the parties in such talks has been finally determined.
