The Kremlin has stated that the anticipated trilateral meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin, Chinese leader Xi Jinping, and US President Donald Trump at the APEC summit in Shenzhen will not fully resolve the Ukrainian crisis. According to RBC-Ukraine, this was announced by Aide to the Russian President Yury Ushakov in an interview with the 'Vesti' news service.
A single negotiating round will not solve the full complex of problems
According to the Kremlin representative, it is impossible to solve the entire complex of problems surrounding Ukraine in a single round of negotiations. 'How can everything be resolved? Whether the meeting lasts an hour, two hours, or five hours, it still won't solve all the problems,' Ushakov noted. Thus, the Russian leadership is managing expectations that even a contact at the highest level will only be a stage in a longer negotiation process, rather than its conclusion.
The 'Troika' format and key conditions
The Kremlin claims that all parties have confirmed their readiness to hold the 'troika' summit, and the measure has already been worked out by experts who, according to Ushakov, have determined the main topics for discussion. The key condition, as emphasized, remains the physical presence of all three leaders in one place and at one time — which is precisely what makes the format difficult to organize and sensitive to any delays or schedule changes.
Comparisons to Yalta and an analytical 'storm'
Commenting on possible comparisons of the upcoming negotiations to a new Yalta, Ushakov noted that if the meeting takes place, it will already provoke a massive wave of analytics. 'I think that if the meeting happens, there will be a storm of comments and assessments. They will find a way to name this meeting,' the Russian presidential aide summarized, effectively acknowledging that the symbolic significance of such a contact will be discussed no less than its practical results.
Context: from the meeting with Witkoff to a peace agreement at the G20
Recall that earlier the Kremlin stated that the war in Ukraine is nearing its conclusion, and Vladimir Putin, during a meeting with US Presidential Envoy Steve Witkoff, expressed Moscow's readiness to resume negotiations with Washington and Kyiv. In turn, Donald Trump aims to sign a peace agreement between Ukraine and Russia during the G20 summit, which, according to reports, will take place in December in Florida; meanwhile, negotiations may proceed under certain pressure on Kyiv. Against this background, the expected contact at APEC in Shenzhen is perceived as one of the possible preliminary steps before more large-scale agreements.
