A Kremlin aide said on Wednesday it makes sense that Russian President Vladimir Putin would speak Donald Trump during multi-lateral events taking place at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Vietnam this week, but a sit-down meetings has not been set.

'It's entirely logical that they will shake hands, that they will discuss certain issues,' Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov told reporters. 'We are also ready to hold a separate, exhaustive bilateral meeting.'

Ushakov said, 'The time frame for such a separate meeting has not been agreed upon, but the possibility is being assessed.'

Trump said that he expects to meet Russian leader Vladimir Putin. He is pictured addressing troops at an air base near Tokyo on Saturday

Trump said earlier in the week that he expects to meet with Putin at the Asian economic summit so they can discuss sanctions on North Korea.

'I think it's expected we'll meet with Putin, yeah,' Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One en route to Japan early Sunday local time. 'We want Putin's help on North Korea, and we'll be meeting with a lot of different leaders.'

It comes amid strains over sanctions against Moscow, the Syria conflict and the investigation into alleged Russian meddling in the 2016 U.S. presidential campaign.

Trump discussed the meeting with reporters during a flight from Hawaii to Tokyo, where he commenced conversations with regional partners on his 12-day tour of the Far East.

He's in China currently and heads to Vietnam next - the country in which he will likely meet with Putin.

A serious concern for America and its Asian allies is North Korea, with tensions soaring since Trump assumed the presidency in January.

Trump told reporters, however, that his issues rest squarely with the government in Pyongyang.

'I think they're great people,' Trump said of North Korean citizens.

'They're industrious. They're warm, much warmer than the world really knows or understands. They're great people. And I hope it all works out for everybody.'

The Kremlin on Friday said talks were under way to set up an encounter at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Danang, Vietnam, from Nov. 8-10.

'It (the meeting) is indeed being discussed,' Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters. 'It's hard to overestimate the importance and significance for all international matters of any contact between the presidents of Russia and the United States.'

U.S. President Donald Trump shakes hands with Russia's President Vladimir Putin during their bilateral meeting at the G20 summit in Hamburg, Germany July 7, 2017

Putin and Trump first met at a G20 summit in Hamburg in July when they discussed allegations of Russian meddling in the U.S. election last year but agreed to focus on better ties rather than litigating the past.

Trump leaves behind a spate of scandals behind, including the indictment of his former campaign chairman Paul Manafort.

The final leg of Trump's trip will be spent in the Philippines, where he will attend the U.S.-ASEAN and East Asia summits and meet for the first time with Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte.

Trump made the comments as relations between Moscow and Washington have soured since allegations of Russian meddling in the November general election began to surface.

Trump in August grudgingly signed off on new sanctions against Russia, a move Moscow said ended hopes for better ties. Putin ordered Washington to cut its embassy and consular staff in Russia by more than half.

Tensions have also flared over the conflict in Syria.

If the Trump-Putin meeting comes about, it would come as investigations in Washington over alleged Russian meddling in the presidential election and possible collusion by the Trump campaign yielded its first indictments.

U.S. special counsel Robert Mueller's office this week unveiled charges against former Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort, Manafort associate Richard Gates and campaign foreign policy adviser George Papadopoulos. Manafort and Gates pleaded not guilty while Papadapoulos pleaded guilty.

The Wall Street Journal also has reported that U.S. authorities have enough evidence to charge six members of the Russian government in the hacking of Democratic National Committee computers during the 2016 campaign.