Russian President Vladimir Putin has proposed a trilateral summit with US President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping next month to negotiate an end to the four-year-old Ukraine war, according to a Wall Street Journal report published on Sunday, October 18. The Kremlin has suggested the three leaders meet on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Shenzhen, China, on November 18 and 19, in talks Moscow hopes would end the conflict on terms favorable to Russia.
The October 9 phone call that started it all
Putin floated the summit idea during an October 9 telephone call with Trump, according to a former Russian intelligence officer briefed on the matter and cited by the Journal. The same call produced a separate energy agreement: a deal for the United States to buy Russian diesel fuel and help facilitate its sale on global markets. Trump later said Russia would supply more than 300,000 tonnes of diesel fuel. Russian presidential aide Yury Ushakov described the 90-minute call as "very substantive" and friendly, covering economic initiatives, energy supplies, and international issues, according to TASS. Ushakov added that both leaders could meet in person on the sidelines of the APEC summit in China.
A summit without Ukraine at the table
The most striking feature of the proposal is who would not be invited: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. A summit deciding Ukraine's fate without Ukraine would be unprecedented, alarming Kyiv and European capitals. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed to the Journal that discussions about a possible meeting were underway, but cautioned: "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." Russian diplomats have presented the proposal to Chinese officials, who signaled Beijing would not object as long as Trump agreed to participate. Yun Sun, director of the China program at the Stimson Center, told the Journal that "China wants to be seen as the pivot of the great powers, and potentially as a mediator between the US and Russia."
Trump has not said yes, but has not said no
A senior US official told the Journal that Trump had not agreed to such a summit, but could be receptive to the idea, given his campaign promise to settle the war. Trump had said it would be finished on "day one" of his new term, but he is now approaching nearly two years in office. On Sunday, Trump said negotiations to end the Russia-Ukraine conflict were making "great progress." In a Truth Social post, he said he did not want to push Russia away from the negotiating table, and accused Zelenskyy of failing to secure a better deal two years earlier. The diesel deal and an order Trump signed on October 16 waiving key sanctions on Moscow have drawn criticism from Zelenskyy, who warned the moves would embolden Putin and prolong the war. On October 18, Zelenskyy said Ukraine remained in communication with US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner as diplomatic efforts continued.
Music in this post's reel: Kevin MacLeod - Lightless Dawn (incompetech.com), licensed under CC BY 3.0
The takeaway
Putin is capitalizing on warming ties with Trump to reshape the diplomacy of the war, pulling China into the frame and leaving Ukraine on the outside looking in. Whether Trump takes the bait at Shenzhen may determine not just the course of the negotiations, but who gets to write the terms of any settlement. Kyiv's message is unambiguous: peace decided without Ukraine will not be a peace Ukraine accepts.
Sources
- The Wall Street Journal: Putin Floats a Summit With Trump and Xi to Decide Ukraine's Fate
- Reuters: Putin proposes summit with Trump, Xi to discuss Ukraine deal, WSJ says
- Times Now: Ukraine's Fate Without Ukraine? Putin Floats Trump-Xi Summit to End War
- The Economic Times: Putin proposes three-way summit with Trump and Xi to negotiate Ukraine conflict