Moscow, 23 August (H.S.):

Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump may meet on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit, scheduled to be held in China in November. However, the Kremlin has so far not confirmed any official plans or indications regarding a meeting between the two leaders.

Turkey’s state-run Anadolu Agency, citing Russian media reports, said Russian presidential foreign policy adviser Yuri Ushakov on Sunday indicated that the possibility of talks between Putin and Trump would be high if both leaders attend the APEC Summit. He said that if the two presidents are present at the same event, there is a possibility that they could meet and hold discussions.

According to Ushakov, no concrete plan has yet been finalised for a meeting between the two presidents. He said the APEC Summit is still around three months away and several important international events are scheduled to take place before then. Therefore, any decision regarding a meeting would be taken at a later stage.

Meanwhile, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has accused countries belonging to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and the European Union (EU) of providing military assistance to Ukraine and pursuing policies directed against Russia.

In a separate interview with a Russian state broadcaster, Lavrov said NATO and EU countries would not be able to publicly distance themselves from what he described as their anti-Russia activities.

Lavrov also criticised influential figures in NATO and EU countries, including Britain, Brussels, Paris and Berlin, whom he accused of holding anti-Russian views. He said Russia would continue to monitor their actions.

Lavrov’s remarks came amid continuing tensions between Russia and Western countries over the war in Ukraine. Meanwhile, attention is now turning to the November APEC Summit in China, where Putin and Trump could potentially hold talks if both attend the gathering.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar