BUENOS AIRES, December 2. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin and his US counterpart Donald Trump may meet in June 2019 at the next G20 summit in Japan, but it’s vital for Moscow and Washington to find a chance to hold these talks earlier, Kremlin Aide Yury Ushakov said in an interview with the program "Moscow. Kremlin. Putin" on Rossiya 1 TV channel on Sunday.
"Certainly, it’s possible," Ushakov said commenting on a potential meeting between the two leaders in the future. "If we speak about international forums, this may happen at the G20 summit in June. But it seems to me that it is crucial for us and our colleagues to find an option to meet earlier," he said.
The two leaders planned to hold a full-fledged meeting in Buenos Aires at the G20 summit, but on the eve of the event Trump announced its cancellation via Twitter over the recent incident with Ukraine’s vessels in the Kerch Strait. However, during the summit the two presidents had a brief conversation, Putin told reporters. The Russian president explained to Trump his view of the incident in the Black Sea even though Trump has a different position on the matter.
On November 25, three warships of the Ukrainian Navy violated the rules of passage through Russia's territorial waters while en route from the Black Sea to the Azov Sea. The Russian side had to use weapons to compel the ships to stop. Three Ukrainian servicemen were lightly wounded. They received medical assistance. The ships were detained and escorted to the port of Kerch. A criminal case was launched on border violation charges.
Moscow described the incident as a provocation. The Ukrainian authorities declared martial law. The EU and NATO called for de-escalation of the situation.