Putin and Trump May Meet at APEC in November as Key Differences Persist

A meeting between the presidents of Russia and the United States could take place on the sidelines of the APEC summit in Shenzhen, but real progress in relations between the two countries remains uncertain, according to Vladimir Bruter, an expert at the International Institute for Humanitarian and Political Studies. In an interview with Pravda.Ru, the political analyst assessed the prospects for dialogue between the leaders of the two powers. Earlier, U.S. President Donald Trump expressed confidence that he would be able to hold another summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin. The White House chief added that he could meet his Russian counterpart immediately, but would prefer to do so when the Ukrainian conflict is nearing its end. Bruter stressed that the U.S. leader's statements are not fundamentally new, as the Russian side has long kept proposals for direct contacts on the table, including a three-way meeting involving the Chinese president. The probability that Putin and Trump will cross paths in the second half of November is extremely high, but the substance of such talks remains uncertain. Meanwhile, experts note that the current strategy of interaction between Russia and the United States increasingly relies on comparing positions without unnecessary publicity.