Kremlin says Putin, Trump and Xi Jinping could meet at summit in China
Photo: Putin proposed that Trump and Xi discuss ending the war without Ukraine (Getty Images)
Russia is proposing to hold a trilateral summit with the US and China in November to agree on ending the war on terms favorable to Moscow. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is not expected to be invited to the meeting, according to Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov in an interview with The Wall Street Journal.
Peskov said there was currently no clear understanding of the meeting itself or its potential agenda, although all three parties acknowledged the hypothetical possibility of such a meeting.
Earlier, he described a possible meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin, US President Donald Trump, and Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit as useful.
In early October, Putin’s aide Yuri Ushakov clarified that the initiative to hold talks should come from China if Trump confirms his participation in the summit.
Meanwhile, Trump is conspicuously avoiding putting pressure on Moscow. He has put a bill on sanctions against Russia on hold, explaining this by his reluctance to push Moscow away from negotiations. Trump is placing the blame for prolonging the war on Zelenskyy.
For his part, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Washington’s actions look like an attempt to force Ukraine into capitulation. According to him, Trump has a good relationship with Putin, but the US president has so far been unable to force him to end the war.
