Former U.S. State Department official Danny Russel stated that Russian officials are driving the push for the Xi-Trump-Putin trilateral meeting, viewing it as a major diplomatic coup for Vladimir Putin

An ongoing armed conflict between Russia and Ukraine that was sparked with Russia's annexation of Crimea in 2014 and escalated into a full-scale invasion in February 2022, resulting in widespread casualties, displacement and significant geopolitical consequences for Europe and the world.