Bloomberg: Putin expected to attend APEC summit in China

Russian President Vladimir Putin is expected to travel to China for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in November, while he is unlikely to attend the Group of 20 (G20) summit in the United States, people familiar with the matter told Bloomberg.

Putin is planning to attend the APEC Leaders’ Summit in person for the first time since 2017, according to the sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the plans have not been made public.

The APEC summit, which will be attended by Chinese President Xi Jinping, is scheduled to take place in Shenzhen on November 18-19.

Russian officials have discussed the possibility of a trilateral meeting between Putin, Xi and US President Donald Trump on the sidelines of the APEC summit, bringing together the leaders of the world’s three largest nuclear powers.

By contrast, there is only a slim possibility that Putin will attend the G20 summit in Florida with Trump, according to the sources.

Putin generally avoids multilateral forums where he could face Western allies of Ukraine, including European countries, as well as Canada, Japan, South Korea and Australia. His attendance at the G20 could also carry the possibility of an unexpected appearance by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Attendance at the APEC summit would give Putin one of his most prominent international platforms since Russia launched its full-scale war against Ukraine in 2022.

Xi is due to visit Washington and hold talks with Trump from September 23-25. The meeting comes as tensions between Washington and Moscow remain high following Trump’s signing of legislation imposing new sanctions on Russia.

By Sabina Mammadli