Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Donald Trump may meet on the sidelines of the APEC summit in Shenzhen, China, in November, according to Kremlin aide Yury Ushakov. The meeting, which would be their first face-to-face encounter since the August 2025 Alaska summit, has not been formally scheduled but is considered likely if both leaders attend.
Ushakov stated on Wednesday that Putin confirmed his participation in the November APEC event, and Trump, who recently traveled to China, has reportedly signaled his intention to join. “Our president has confirmed that he will come to the APEC summit,” Ushakov told reporters. “I think that, in any case, if both leaders are in China, they will probably cross paths and hold some kind of meeting.”
The potential encounter follows a previous high-stakes meeting between the two leaders in Alaska in August 2025, which was described as productive by both sides but ended without a ceasefire deal in Ukraine. Since returning to the White House, Trump has alternated between criticizing Putin over stalled peace efforts in Ukraine and praising their personal rapport.
Trump recently suggested he might travel to Russia this year to help facilitate a settlement, as Washington-backed direct negotiations between Moscow and Kiev have stalled. The Kremlin has indicated that Vladimir Putin is prepared to host the U.S. president.
Russia maintains that any peaceful resolution to the conflict requires Kiev to withdraw from remaining areas of Donbass under its control.
