Russian President Vladimir Putin has proposed a three-way summit with US President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping to negotiate an end to the war in Ukraine, a plan that would pointedly exclude Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy from talks about his own country.
The Wall Street Journal reported that Putin raised the proposal during a telephone call with Trump on October 9, suggesting the meeting take place on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Shenzhen on November 18 and 19, according to reports. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed discussions were underway but said there was no firm understanding of whether the meeting would happen or what it would cover.
Trump open, but not for Ukraine
Trump told reporters on Monday he was open to a trilateral meeting, but not primarily about Ukraine. “I would do it, not so much for Ukraine,” he said. “We would have it to talk about nuclear weapons, denuclearization. And anytime I can have a meeting on denuclearization.” US Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirmed high-level talks were taking place, according to reports.
The proposal has alarmed Kyiv and European allies. Zelenskyy warned on NBC’s Meet the Press that siding with Russia would be a “historic mistake”, according to reports. The diplomacy comes as Trump has waived new sanctions on Moscow and struck a diesel deal with Putin, moves Zelenskyy says will embolden Russia.
War grinds on
Overnight, Moscow launched one of its broadest air assaults in months, cutting power to more than half a million households and killing ten people, according to reports. Kyiv has accused Washington of withholding vital intelligence and slowing a satellite system used to track incoming strikes, a charge that underscores how far the US-Ukraine relationship has strained even as summit talk accelerates.
For European capitals, the prospect of a trilateral bargain over Ukraine without Ukraine at the table revives old fears of great-power dealmaking at smaller nations’ expense. Whether the Shenzhen meeting materialises or not, the proposal itself has already reshaped the diplomatic landscape, forcing allies to reckon with a Washington that is openly weighing a separate peace with Moscow.
