Russia: Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Friday that Moscow welcomed negotiations between the United States and China, noting that any agreements between the world’s two largest economies could affect the global economy, including Russia.
Putin said Russia’s relations with the United States had been reduced to 'almost zero', while trade between Russia and China stood at $240 billion.
"These are the world's two largest economies (U.S and China), and depending on how they reach agreements on disputed issues and on the problems stemming from illegitimate sanctions imposed by the United States, and on what agreements are reached, this will affect the entire global economy, including our own economy", Putin told journalists in St Petersburg.
Asked whether he was jealous of Chinese President Xi Jinping over his ties with US President Donald Trump, Putin said that "jealousy belongs to a completely different realm, one of a humanitarian nature, concerning relations between a man and a woman."
Putin was also asked whether he would attend the upcoming Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit. He said no decision had been made and that his participation would depend on the situation inside Russia.
"Overall, this is a large, serious event, and I have an invitation," Putin said, adding that he believed participating in such forums was useful. He also said he had discussed the matter with Chinese President Xi Jinping.
The APEC summit is scheduled to be held in Shenzhen, China, on November 18-19.
