Putin To Meet Turkish, French, German Leaders In China

The Kremlin says Russian President Vladimir Putin will hold a number of high-level bilateral meetings on the sidelines of the upcoming G20 summit in Hangzhou, China.

Kremlin aide Yury Ushakov said on August 30 that Putin will hold talks with his Turkish counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, on September 3 as the "process of normalization of relations between the two countries is under way."

Russia imposed trade restrictions on Turkey after a Turkish F-16 downed a Russian warplane near the Syrian border in November 2015.

However, the Russian and Turkish presidents vowed to open a new period of close relations after Putin hosted Erdogan in St. Petersburg on August 9.

Ushakov also said Putin will discuss a need for "a new impetus in bilateral relations" with British Prime Minister Theresa May on September 4, and he will discuss the Syrian crisis with Saudi Arabia's Deputy Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman.

U.S. President Barack Obama is also likely to have an informal talk with Putin during the summit, the White House said.

A planned trilateral meeting of leaders from Russia, France, and Germany on the Ukraine crisis was called off due to rising tensions over the Crimean Peninsula, according to Ushakov.

Instead, Putin is to meet separately with French President Francois Hollande -- possibly on September 4 -- and German Chancellor Angela Merkel the following day.

Kyiv had been concerned about the prospect of Russia, Germany, and France discussing the situation in Ukraine without its input.

Based on reporting by Reuters and TASS