In brief

• Marco Rubio said he and Sergei Lavrov briefly discussed a possible Trump–Putin meeting at the APEC summit in Shenzhen on 18–19 November.
• The talk in Atlanta, on the sidelines of the G20 foreign ministers' meeting, was not a formal negotiation, and no meeting has been agreed.
• European officials told a Radio Liberty correspondent that Rubio privately doubts Putin will attend the G20 summit in Miami.
• The same officials said Rubio does not expect a Ukraine deal before spring 2027.

Possible meeting on the APEC sidelines

Rubio said he and Lavrov briefly discussed whether Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin could meet at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit next month (Rubio mluvil s Lavrovem o možném setkání Trumpa s Putinem v Číně – Novinky.cz) (Trump a Putin by se mohli setkat v Číně. Rubio jednal s Lavrovem o summitu APEC – iDNES.cz). On the fringes of the Group of 20 foreign ministers' gathering in Atlanta, which lasted two days, Rubio said the exchange was not a formal negotiating session (Rubio mluvil s Lavrovem o možném setkání Trumpa s Putinem v Číně – Seznam Zprávy). The APEC summit is scheduled for 18–19 November in Shenzhen, China (Рубіо розповів, коли можуть відбутися нові переговори між Трампом і Путіним – UNIAN) (Трамп і Путін можуть зустрітися в листопаді: Рубіо розкрив деталі – TSN). Rubio said discussing the option does not mean a meeting has been agreed.

Lavrov's account and US mediation

Lavrov told reporters the exchange with Rubio had been correct. Rubio said Washington is ready to act as a peace mediator.

Doubts about the Miami G20 summit

The Trump administration has invited Putin to the G20 leaders' summit in Miami in mid-December (Війна затягнеться до 2027 року: що Рубіо сказав європейським дипломатам – TSN) (У Білому домі не вірять, що Путін погодиться на мир до весни, - ЗМІ – UNIAN). Rubio said he did not know whether Putin would travel there. Citing three European officials, Radio Liberty correspondent Alex Raufoglu reported that Rubio privately told Western diplomats in Atlanta that he doubts Putin will attend.

Doubts about a near-term Ukraine deal

According to the same European officials, Rubio does not expect Putin to agree to any deal on Ukraine before spring 2027.

Context

Earlier, Trump said an agreement to end the war in Ukraine was getting closer. The private doubts reported by European diplomats contrast with Washington's public signals on diplomacy with Moscow.

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