Afət Ziyadqızı
Russian President Vladimir Putin has proposed holding a trilateral summit with the leaders of the United States and China next month to discuss a settlement to the Ukraine conflict and terms for peace. Russian media, citing The Wall Street Journal (WSJ), reported that diplomatic sources provided information about the initiative.
Operative Information Center-OMM reports that, according to a former Russian intelligence officer, Putin raised the idea of organizing a trilateral summit during a phone call with US President Donald Trump on October 9.
A senior US administration official said the White House had not yet given formal and final approval for the proposed summit. However, the official said the US president could respond positively to the initiative, given his campaign promises and his intention to pursue a swift diplomatic settlement to the conflict.
According to sources, Moscow proposed holding the trilateral summit on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit, scheduled to take place next month in Shenzhen, China. Beijing is reportedly not opposed to the format if Washington agrees.
Reports from the Kremlin have confirmed the possibility of contacts between the leaders, while consultations on the meeting’s specific agenda and format are continuing.
