Russian President Vladimir Putin's proposed format for Ukraine talks would exclude Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky from discussions with U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping, The Wall Street Journal reported.
The Journal described the proposal as an effort to shape a settlement in Moscow’s favor. It said a summit without Zelensky would be unprecedented and linked Putin’s approach to warmer ties with Trump.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has said there is no concrete proposal or agreed agenda for a three-leader meeting. The Kremlin has also described the possible meeting as hypothetical.
A former Russian intelligence officer briefed on the discussions traced the idea to Putin’s Oct. 9 phone call with Trump, the Journal reported. A senior U.S. official told the Journal Trump had made no commitment to attend.
The Journal identified the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) leaders’ meeting in Shenzhen, China, as a possible venue. The meeting is scheduled for Nov. 18-19, but no three-way summit is scheduled.
