MOSCOW, November 29. /TASS/.At his forthcoming meeting with US President Donald Trump in Argentina, Russian President Vladimir Putin intends to discuss bilateral relations, strategic security and regional conflicts, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov told the media on Thursday.
"Issues connected to bilateral relations will come first. We should give thought to how to start discussing bilateral relations, strategic security and disarmament, in addition to regional conflicts," Peskov said when asked what topics the Russian leader hoped to touch upon at the talks with Trump.
Putin and Trump are expected to meet on December 1 during the G20 summit in Buenos Aires. The first meeting between the Russian and US leaders at this forum was held in Germany’s Hamburg in July 2017. Later that year, the presidents met ‘on the go’ at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Vietnam. So far, the only round of talks between Putin and Trump, which was held not on the sidelines of any international summits, was held in July 2018 in Helsinki.
According to Peskov, it’s vital for Moscow and Washington to hold dialogue. "We do not need to agree on all issues, this is probably impossible, but it’s necessary for us to talk. This is in the interests of our two countries and in the interests of the entire world," he stressed.
"All this [Putin-Trump talks] is held on the sidelines of the summit [G20 in Argentina], before the summit’s closing, before the so-called retreat or a working meeting in Russian. That’s why the timeframe [of the discussion] will be rather tight," Peskov told reporters. The Putin-Trump meeting will take place on December 1 at around noon local time [15:00 GMT], he noted.
"At first, as we expect, the presidents will briefly contact, and then the Russian-US talks will take place, which may last for nearly an hour," Peskov said. It’s up to the presidents to decide on the talks’ duration, he said, adding that Washington has confirmed the meeting.
Possible meeting with May
Putin and British Prime Minister Theresa May can talk to each other on the sidelines of the G20 summit, if they deem it necessary, but so far no preparations for such a meeting are underway, Peskov told reporters.
"No separate conversations were planned, and there were no such initiatives on either side. On the other hand, both Ms. May and President Putin will be at the G20 summit and, therefore, if any of them has a desire to do so, we cannot rule out that they may communicate on the sidelines, if they deem it necessary. There are no special plans on that score," the Kremlin spokesman said.
Earlier, Peskov said that the two-day schedule of the Russian leader in Argentina on November 30-December 1 is very busy because the president will take part in the G20 summit, talk to his colleagues and hold events envisaged by the program of his visit to Argentina.