Russia Touts Trump-Putin Meeting at Major Deadline

The Kremlin said Russian President Vladimir Putin could meet with U.S. President Donald Trump if the latter visits China in September.

China is due to hold a military parade in Beijing on September 3 to mark 80 years since the end of World War Two, and Putin is set to attend.

The parade is a day after Trump’s 50-day deadline for Putin to make peace in Ukraine or face much tougher economic sanctions.

Dmitry Peskov, Putin’s spokesman, said at a press briefing on Monday, July 21, that the Trump meeting could take place in Beijing in September, state news agency TASS reported.

Trump set the deadline on July 14, warning Russia that it faced punitive secondary tariffs against those still trading with it if there is no peace.

It marked a hardening of his stance on Russia as he grows increasingly and openly frustrated with Putin for intensifying a war he is trying to end.

China is one of the countries that would be hit hardest by a secondary tariff. Beijing has propped up the sanctions-hit Russian economy with large-scale oil purchases.

It is not clear if Beijing has invited Trump to the parade, or plans to.

Trump said he and Chinese President Xi Jinping had given reciprocal invites for visits to each other’s countries during a recent call to break the deadlock in U.S.-China trade negotiations.

This is a breaking news story. Updates to follow.