Zeenews Bureau
Moscow: US President Barack Obama will not attend major annual summit of Asia-Pacific nations in Vladivostok in September, reports said on Friday.
The White House has not confirmed the reports doing rounds in the Russian media. The reports came after Russia President Vladimir Putin decided to skip a planned high-profile visit to the United States next week by saying he needs to finish setting up his new government.
The Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit is scheduled to be held on September 01-08. Obama will, however, be busy in re-election campaigns. He will formally accept the nomination for re-election at the Democratic Party national convention in North Carolina on September 06. According to reports, Obama has notified the Kremlin about his plans.
In the meantime, Obama`s spokesman Jay Carney said the US President was not offended by Putin`s decision to skip the Group of Eight summit at Camp David, Maryland.
"It was not a surprise, and it does not at all feel like a snub. It was something we understood and understand," Carney told reporters.