Rubio says a Trump-Putin meeting at the APEC summit in China is on the cards after talks with Lavrov

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said he spoke to Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov on the sidelines of G20 talks in Atlanta, and that a Trump-Putin meeting at the APEC summit in China is on the cards³. The two ministers discussed the possibility of a meeting between Trump and Putin in China next month⁴.

Rubio defended Russia’s presence at the G20 despite criticism from allies¹. He said President Donald Trump thought it “important that Russia be a part of the G-20 conversation”². Many leaders were unhappy with Trump’s announcement earlier this month that he would waive some tariffs and sanctions¹.

Why it matters to investors

A meeting in China would bring Putin, Xi Jinping and Trump into the same setting, which would put Russia on apparently equal footing with the two global superpowers⁵. That would mark a break in Putin’s isolation, with what has been described as a big assist from Trump⁵.

The tariff and sanctions waivers that Trump announced earlier this month are the policy that allies object to, and they bear directly on trade with Russia¹. Rubio’s defence of Russia’s G20 role shows the administration defending its approach in the face of that criticism^1,2.

The account of the Rubio-Lavrov discussion comes from the ministers’ own statements as carried by several outlets, and the sources do not say that a meeting has been agreed^3,4. The meeting remains a possibility under discussion rather than a scheduled event⁴.

What to watch

The APEC summit in China is the next venue to watch for a Trump-Putin meeting, which one account places next month^3,4. After that, Putin could go on to Miami⁵. The sources give no exact date for either stop, and no confirmation that the meeting in China will take place^4,5.

Allied reaction to the waivers of some tariffs and sanctions, and to Russia’s role in the G20, is the second thread^1,2. Any statement from Moscow confirming or setting conditions for a meeting would add detail the sources here lack^3,4.

Rubio’s remarks frame the administration’s position: that Russia should be part of the G20 conversation and that a leaders’ meeting is possible^2,3. Further details of the waivers would show how far the policy toward Russia has shifted¹.