Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha opposed a format that would discuss the war without Kyiv, as Moscow said no plan had been agreed for a possible meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin, U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping.
The Wall Street Journal reported Putin raised the idea during an Oct. 9 call with Trump and suggested meeting alongside the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Economic Leaders’ Meeting in Shenzhen. The account of the private call and a Ukraine-focused agenda have not been publicly confirmed. At the Valdai Discussion Club on Oct. 1, Putin said he was open to a meeting with Trump and Xi if it had an agenda. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Oct. 19 that the possibility had come up in discussions, but no specific proposal or agreement had been put forward.
Sybiha said talks involving Ukraine, Russia and the United States could bring the war to an end sooner. He warned that a Russia-China-U.S. gathering without Kyiv would “encourage Putin to continue this war.” That was Sybiha’s assessment, not an established outcome. Peskov said Kyiv would have to participate in any final settlement.
The two sides have not settled on a location for direct talks between Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy: Ukraine has proposed a neutral venue, while Moscow says a meeting should take place in Moscow.
The Oct. 16 White House order provides for additional duties of 500% on Russian goods and 100% on goods from the five largest importers of Russian oil and gas if they knowingly make new purchases from Oct. 18, subject to exceptions; it waives those duties and specified sanctions under the September law. The order says existing sanctions imposed under separate executive orders are unaffected.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said he knew of discussions about a meeting but could not confirm a finalized plan. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said she had no information to share. The APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting is scheduled for Nov. 18-19, 2026, in Shenzhen; no Putin-Trump-Xi meeting is on a confirmed schedule.
