Putin favors trilateral meeting with U.S., Chinese leaders

MOSCOW. Oct 1 (Interfax) - Russia supports the idea of holding a trilateral meeting with the leaders of China and the United States, Russian President Vladimir Putin said.

"As for a possible trilateral meeting, I know this is being discussed in the media. We are all for it," he said at a plenary session of the Valdai International Discussion Club.

At the same time, Putin said that the agenda for such a meeting would need to be understood.

"We need to understand what the agenda for any bilateral meetings would be, and what we would be discussing. But, on the whole, any dialogue is beneficial," Putin said.

He noted that he was confident such a summit would be successful.

"As for a possible meeting of the three leaders during the APEC summit, well, that is likely possible, too. As I have already said, it will depend largely on China, as the host of the event. But, I reiterate, meeting is always beneficial, as it allows for an exchange of views and a clarification of positions. The most important thing is to identify the issues that could form the basis of this potential trilateral summit. Furthermore, we need to define the agenda for this negotiation process," the president said.

When asked whether China could play a role in promoting peace at this point, he said, "Regarding China's role: firstly, China's philosophy and political thought never involve the use of pressure, let alone resolving emerging problems through military means. China always seeks to resolve issues and problems peacefully. We see this reflected in China's policies under the leadership of President Xi Jinping."

"Can China play a role right now? Of course, it can. And this is primarily based on its growing economic, and indeed military potential, as well as its desire to expand the sphere of free cooperation," Putin said.