Moscow [Russia], September 6 : Russian President Vladimir Putin may meet his US counterpart Donald Trump on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in China if an opportunity arises, while Moscow has also said a trilateral meeting involving the leaders of Russia, China and the United States cannot be ruled out, TASS reported on Sunday.
Kremlin Aide Yuri Ushakov said both Putin and Trump plan to attend the APEC summit and that Moscow would seek to arrange separate meetings for the Russian President, including with Chinese President Xi Jinping.
“Each of the leaders plans to attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit. Naturally, we will seek to arrange separate meetings for our leader, including with President Xi Jinping. And, if an opportunity arises, our leader will also meet with the United States president,” Ushakov said in an interview with Pavel Zarubin of Vesti, according to TASS.
He added that if a Putin-Trump meeting takes place, the substance of their dialogue would depend on the duration of the meeting.
Meanwhile, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov said a trilateral meeting involving the leaders of Russia, China and the United States cannot be ruled out, although he noted that preparations for such a meeting have not yet begun.
“The idea exists; it has been introduced into the public space. It would be an exaggeration to say that it is moving into the phase of preparation,” Ryabkov said in an interview with TASS.
He said the key issue would be determining the substantive agenda of such a meeting and the expected outcome.
“Here, too, the main question boils down to how the substantive side will be formulated, and what we will expect as an outcome? Although it is clear that formats, especially at the highest level, are themselves extremely significant and send the right signals. Like, for example, the RIC format,” Ryabkov said.
“But the trilateral format with the participation of the leaders of Russia, China and the United States has not been practised so far. I cannot rule anything out, of course. But from a practical point of view, I have nothing to add today to what I have just said,” he added.
In reference to the recent US-Russia diplomatic engagements, Kremlin Spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said on Sunday that the Russian President Vladimir Putin's meeting with US President Donald Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner reflected an atmosphere of trust through that channel of communication, TASS reported. 
"The very fact that the meeting is taking place means that an atmosphere of trust does indeed exist, at least through this channel of communication, and that it is strengthening. As a rule, however, expanded exchanges of such welcoming remarks emerge when there are messages that the head of state considers necessary to convey," Peskov said in an interview on the Russian news network Vesti. 
The developments come as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has stated that Kyiv is prepared to implement a temporary halt to aerial strikes targeting Russian cities engaged in ongoing diplomatic negotiations.