Trump and Putin discussed a possible trilateral summit with Xi Jinping at the APEC meeting in November

U.S. and Russian presidents Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin discussed the possibility of a trilateral meeting with Chinese leader Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the APEC summit scheduled for November in Shenzhen, the Kremlin announced Wednesday.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed that the issue was raised during the telephone conversation held by the two leaders on Tuesday. He said the idea of a trilateral summit had been mentioned previously as well and that “such an opportunity will arise.”

The discussion took place after U.S. envoys visited Kyiv and Moscow over the weekend with the aim of reviving negotiations to end the war in Ukraine. The talks have been deadlocked for some time.

Relations between Moscow and Beijing have grown considerably closer since Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Putin and Xi Jinping met at the end of August in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, during the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit. According to the Kremlin, both bilateral meetings with Trump and a trilateral meeting were considered.

The APEC summit is scheduled to take place in Shenzhen on November 18 and 19. Russia has announced Vladimir Putin’s participation, while Washington has not yet confirmed Donald Trump’s attendance.