US policy drives Russia, China together ahead of summit

MOSCOW (AP) — When Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping meet this week, they will have plenty to talk about thanks to U.S. President Donald Trump.

Xi is traveling to Vladivostok, in the Russian Far East, on Tuesday and Wednesday for an economic conference where he's expected to meet with Putin, while China joins vast Russian war games for the first time.

Neither side has said what they'll discuss, but Trump's policies on trade and North Korea are topics of interest to both Russia and China. And U.S. sanctions on Russia have played a role in driving Russia and China closer together.