‘Politics not relationship’ – Putin dismisses jealousy over Trump-Xi meeting

Russian President Vladimir Putin has expressed his views on the closely watched meeting between US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping.

The Chinese premier concluded a three-day state visit to the United States on Friday after bilateral talks aimed at deepening Washington-Beijing relations.

At a press conference on the sidelines of the United Cultures Forum in St. Petersburg, Putin was asked if he was “jealous” of the US meeting and the prospect of a trilateral session with Trump and Xi during the APEC summit.

“Jealousy is something from a completely different area of a humanitarian nature—relationships between men and women,” he replied. “In politics, in international politics, such categories are not really used.”

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Putin welcomed the US-China negotiations and “any agreement of a positive nature”, noting that the two nations are the world’s largest economies and that their decisions largely shape the world’s course.

The president, however, cast doubt on his participation in the forthcoming APEC summit in China, saying events at home in Russia would determine his travel plans.

Regarding Europe’s allegations, he accused the leaders of “trying to deceive citizens” of their countries with claims that Russia intends to attack, calling them “complete nonsense.”

Putin slammed Estonia’s new Defence Minister, Martin Herem, for urging military mobilisation for a possible war, mocking Estonia as having a population smaller than the Russian army.

Turning to Ukraine, the head of state said that although proposals for a settlement to the conflict remained on the table, Moscow would act in its best interests after assessing acceptable terms.

Putin hinted that Russia was ready to resume diplomacy with Kyiv after last week’s parliamentary elections, but claimed that Ukraine had targeted polling stations in Moscow.

The president blamed the recent escalation on strikes on civilian sites, including the warehouses of Wildberries and Ozon, telling reporters, “We began responding to each of these actions.”

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