Putin proposes summit with Trump and Xi on the war in Ukraine

Russian President Vladimir Putin has proposed a three-way summit with his American and Chinese counterparts, Donald Trump and Xi Jinping, to discuss the war in Ukraine. According to the Wall Street Journal, which cites sources familiar with the matter, Moscow's aim would be to negotiate an end to the conflict favorable to Russia. Such a meeting, without the participation of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, would be unprecedented and has already raised concerns in Kyiv and among its allies in Europe and Washington.

According to a former Russian intelligence official, Putin raised the idea of the trilateral meeting during a phone call with Trump on October 9. In the same conversation, the two sides reportedly reached an agreement on the purchase of Russian diesel by the United States, which would also make it easier to sell the product on the global market.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed to the newspaper that discussions were underway, while stressing that no concrete plan exists yet. "There is not yet a clear vision of the meeting itself or its potential agenda items, although all three parties recognize the possibility that such a meeting could take place," Peskov said, as quoted by Interfax. The spokesman added that the topic had been mentioned in a conversation between Putin and Trump ahead of the APEC summit, but without specific proposals on agenda or content. Peskov also reiterated that a final agreement on the war remains impossible without the participation of a representative from Kyiv willing to take on responsibility.

China's role

According to the Wall Street Journal's sources, the Kremlin suggested holding the meeting on the sidelines of the APEC summit, scheduled for November 18 and 19 in Shenzhen, where all three leaders are expected to attend. A trilateral summit on Chinese soil would mark an important step for Xi in his effort to establish Beijing as a leading diplomatic mediator. Moscow reportedly has already put the proposal to Beijing through diplomatic channels, and China has indicated it would not object, provided Trump also agrees. Yun Sun, head of the China program at the Stimson Center in Washington, observed that "China wants to be seen as the pivot between the great powers and, potentially, as a mediator between the United States and Russia."

A senior US official, however, said that Trump has not yet given his assent to the summit, though he could be open to it given his desire to keep his campaign promise to end the war. Asked about the matter while on a mission in Uzbekistan, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said, according to Reuters: "There's been talk of a meeting. I don't know if it's been made official, but the president has been clear. He would like the war between Ukraine and Russia to end."

The proposal comes amid tension between Washington and Kyiv. On Sunday, Trump accused Zelensky, on social media, of targeting Russian diesel refineries while knowing the attacks are seriously damaging global diesel markets, including in the United States, and of having no interest in ending the war. A few days earlier, Trump had suspended, by executive order, sanctions on Russian exports provided for under the "Lindsey Graham Act," a decision that, according to Zelensky, risks encouraging Putin to continue the conflict.