Klimkin: Meeting between Trump, Xi and Putin is possible, but it will not work to attack the US president

Trilateral meeting between the US president Donald Trump, the leader of China Xi Jinping and the Russian dictator Vladimir Putin is possible. However, the latter will not be able to "pounce" on the head of the United States together, said Pavlo Klimkin, minister of Foreign Affairs (2014-2019) and analyst, in the new issue of "Klimkin Explains" on the YouTube channel LIGA.net.

"I think it will be difficult to divide the world geopolitically. Although Putin did not just start saying that at first he believed that ideological differences were the problem [on this path], and then he realized that it was geopolitics... Now he wants some kind of geopolitical division, and he is playing on the fact that Trump probably wants such a division. Xi, of course, has his own logic, and he needs to promote something of his own," the expert said.

According to Klimkin, the Russian dictator and the Chinese leader will definitely not be able to "attack" the US president together: "It is so difficult to attack Trump here."

The analyst believes that Trump may agree to the proposal for such talks, but only if Putin "goes ahead," otherwise it will be a sign of weakness for the US leader.

"Trump wants to go to China, it is known, and there were many different signals that it would be a big visit with a business delegation and so on. Would they want to meet with the three of them? As for me, the end of World War II [September 2] is not a bad occasion, but on the other hand, it is a bad occasion. Because the roles of the Americans, today's Russia, and China are so different that the appearance of the three of them will certainly troll someone, but it will also put someone on hold: what should we do next if there is an agreement [between Trump, Xi Jinping, and Putin]," the expert explained.

At the same time, he believes that in today's reality, Trump will not leave NATO, as he has realized that the Americans have their own benefits from the Alliance: "Even in terms of buying American weapons and paying for them by Europeans".

Regarding a possible attempt by the United States, China, and Russia to "divide the world into three," the analyst noted that there are other players who "have, as Trump says, a lot to gain, your cards".

"But there will be such attempts [to divide the world], and Putin is well aware that his time is not infinite either, and this is in terms of the economy. He will try to achieve some kind of geopolitical result, because this is a key story for him – that his regime should not be touched in any way. And, in fact, he will talk about this with Trump," Klimkin said.

However, he added, the Russian dictator "understands perfectly well" that he can get some promises from the US president, but how they will work depends on changes in political and public sentiment in the West and beyond.

"And, in fact, the unity of the West in the classical sense does not exist, as it used to. But all the fears that the West would collapse did not materialize, and NATO remains the foundation of the West's security. But in the non-Western world, things are much more complicated. Nevertheless, there will definitely be attempts at some kind of geopolitical division. And all the other [countries] will join in. When they [Trump, Xi Jinping, and Putin] get together for the three of them, [the question arises] – where are the Indians? Where are all the others? And where are the Europeans? And this is where it all starts," the expert summarized.

• Earlier, the British newspaper The Times suggested that Xi Jinping may invite Trump to China for the anniversary of the end of World War II. The Russian dictator has already accepted an invitation to this event.