Russian President Vladimir Putin has proposed a three-way summit with U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping next month to discuss an end to the four-year war in Ukraine, according to The Wall Street Journal. The gathering would take place on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit, scheduled for November 18–19 in Shenzhen, China — three of the world's most powerful leaders at one table, deciding a European war's future without Ukraine present.
The Kremlin proposal
According to the Journal, which cited people familiar with the discussions, Putin floated the trilateral meeting during a telephone conversation with Trump on October 9. Russian diplomats subsequently presented the idea to Beijing through diplomatic channels, and the Chinese side indicated it would not object if the U.S. president agreed to participate.
People familiar with the plan say the proposal reflects an effort by Putin to capitalize on warming ties with Trump to unlock a negotiated end to the war on terms favorable to Moscow. The same October 9 call also produced an agreement for the United States to purchase Russian diesel fuel and help distribute it on global markets.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed on October 19 that discussions about a possible meeting were underway. "There is no clear understanding yet regarding the meeting itself or its potential agenda, although all three parties acknowledge the hypothetical possibility of such a meeting taking place," Peskov told the Journal.
Washington and Beijing respond
A senior U.S. official told the Journal that Trump had not formally agreed to the summit but could be receptive, given his long-stated desire to negotiate an end to the conflict. The White House declined to comment, and the Chinese Embassy in Washington did not respond to requests for comment.
Trump said on October 18 that negotiations to end the Russia-Ukraine war were making "great progress." In a post on Truth Social, he defended his approach toward Moscow, saying he did not want to take steps that could push Russia away from the negotiating table.
The proposal comes amid a series of moves toward Moscow by the White House. Beyond the October 9 diesel deal, Trump signed an order on October 16 waiving key sanctions against Moscow, and Washington has pressed Ukraine to suspend strikes on Russian oil refineries — strikes Kyiv considers legitimate military targets.
Ukraine and Europe push back
The exclusion of Ukraine from a meeting that would shape its own future has drawn sharp criticism. In an interview with Bloomberg, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky accused Trump of trying to pressure Ukraine into surrender, more than four years after Russia invaded.
"I believe steps have been taken to convince Ukraine to capitulate," Zelensky said. "But that's how it looks."
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha argued that talks involving Ukraine, the United States and Russia could accelerate an end to the war, while substituting China for Ukraine would only encourage Putin to keep fighting. European allies of the United States have raised similar concerns.
The plan also invites a historical comparison: at the February 1945 Yalta conference, the leaders of the U.S., Britain and the Soviet Union negotiated the futures of countries that had no seat at the table.
What happens next
For now, the summit exists only as a Kremlin proposal confirmed to be under discussion. No date is fixed, no agenda is agreed, and Trump's participation — the condition both Moscow and Beijing treat as decisive — remains undecided. The immediate questions are concrete: whether the three leaders actually meet in Shenzhen in November, whether Ukraine gets any role in discussions about its own future, and what conditions Moscow would accept for a ceasefire.
Music in this post's reel: Kevin MacLeod - Lightless Dawn (incompetech.com), licensed under CC BY 3.0
Sources
- Reuters: Putin proposes summit with Trump, Xi to discuss Ukraine deal, WSJ says
- Military.com: Putin proposes Trump-Xi summit on Ukraine war, leaving Kyiv outside talks
- Ukrainska Pravda: WSJ — Putin proposes November summit with Trump and Xi to discuss Ukraine
- Free Press Journal: Putin proposes November summit with Trump & Xi Jinping to discuss Ukraine war