Kostiantyn Yeliseyev diplomat The key issue at the summit will not be [Ukrainian] territories, but strategic stability, which is a priority for Putin. Incidentally, this was the dominant topic during previous summits between Putin and Trump in Helsinki in 2018.

President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia may be seeking to build support among countries that have backed Moscow or remained neutral in the conflict.

China is pleased to see Russia and the United States maintaining contact and improving ties to advance a political resolution of the Ukraine crisis, President Xi Jinping said in a phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday.