US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said he briefly discussed with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov the possibility of US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin interacting at next month’s APEC summit in China.
Rubio made the remarks on Saturday, October 31, at the close of a two-day meeting of G20 foreign ministers in Atlanta, Georgia. He was careful about what the exchange was — and was not.
What Rubio actually said
“We spoke just briefly about the opportunity for our leaders to potentially interact at APEC next month,” Rubio told reporters, referring to the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit scheduled for mid-November in Shenzhen, China.
He stressed that he did not hold a formal meeting with Lavrov during the Atlanta gathering. The conversation took place on the sidelines of the G20 talks, which wrapped up on Saturday.
That distinction matters. Rubio announced no meeting between Trump and Putin, no agreed format, and no agenda. What he described was a brief exchange about a possible interaction — not a confirmed encounter.
Lavrov had described the contact a day earlier as a “decent talk”, according to AFP reporting of the Atlanta meeting.
Why communication, in Rubio’s argument, still matters
Rubio framed the contact as a practical necessity, not an endorsement. “It is always important that the United States and Russia have communications at some level because of the danger of escalation in the future,” he said, pointing to both the Russia-Ukraine conflict and Moscow’s nuclear weapons.
On Ukraine, he said the United States was prepared to play a mediating role if it could help end the conflict, adding: “And to play that role, we have to have the ability to communicate with both sides.”
At the same time, Rubio cautioned that a negotiated settlement was not imminent, and he reported no breakthrough from the Atlanta gathering. Talking to Moscow, he argued, did not mean agreeing with its actions or legitimising them.
The G20 context — and the December summit
The Atlanta foreign ministers’ meeting was intended to set the stage for a December G20 leaders’ summit in Miami at President Trump’s Doral resort. Trump has invited Putin to that summit, a prospect that has already created diplomatic tension, particularly among European governments.
Trump told reporters on Saturday that he would have “no problem” with inviting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as well. That is not the same as a confirmed invitation, and no attendance decision for either leader was announced at Atlanta.
Lavrov’s presence in Atlanta had itself sparked tensions among European countries, and plans for a traditional family photo of G20 ministers were cancelled after some European officials objected to appearing alongside him. Russia has been shunned by most of the West since its 2022 invasion of Ukraine, which makes even brief US-Russia contact politically sensitive.
See also: Iran War Puts Energy Security at Centre of G20 Foreign Ministers’ Talks in Atlanta and Quad Ministers Warn Against ‘Economic Coercion’ in Atlanta Statement, Pledge Reliable Supply Chains
What happens next
The next marker is the APEC summit in Shenzhen in mid-November. Whether Trump and Putin interact there — in a meeting, a pull-aside, or not at all — has not been decided or announced. Watch for confirmation from the White House or the Kremlin, rather than treating Rubio’s brief exchange as a schedule.
Beyond that, the December G20 leaders’ summit in Miami will test the same question at larger scale: whether Putin attends, whether Zelenskyy is invited, and whether any of these encounters produce movement toward ending the war in Ukraine. Rubio’s own caution — that a settlement is not imminent — is the right expectation to carry into both events.
Frequently asked questions
Have Trump and Putin agreed to meet at APEC? No. Rubio said only that he briefly raised the possibility of the leaders potentially interacting at the summit; no meeting has been announced.
Did Rubio hold a formal meeting with Lavrov? No. Rubio stressed his exchange with Lavrov in Atlanta was brief and on the sidelines, not a formal meeting.
Does talking to Russia mean the US endorses its actions? Rubio says no — he argues the US must be able to communicate with both sides to have any chance of mediating an end to the Ukraine war.
Sources
- Malay Mail (AFP), “Trump-Putin meeting at China Apec summit on the cards, Rubio says”
- The Korea Herald (AFP), “Rubio says he spoke to Lavrov about potential Trump-Putin interaction at APEC”
- The Manila Times (AFP), “Rubio says he spoke to Lavrov about potential Trump-Putin interaction at APEC”
- Türkiye Today, “Rubio says Trump-Putin interaction possible at APEC summit”
- EconoTimes, “Rubio Says Trump and Putin May Interact at November APEC Summit”
