U.S. President Donald Trump said he was open to meeting Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping in China even without Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, drawing objections from Kyiv.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said no meeting or agenda had been agreed, although the subject had arisen in discussions. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said he knew of talks about a meeting but did not know whether a final decision had been made. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said she had no information to share.
The Wall Street Journal reported, citing people familiar with the discussions, that Putin proposed talks with Trump and Xi aimed at a settlement favorable to Moscow, without Zelenskyy. Trump described the meeting as his own suggestion. Peskov confirmed only that the possibility had been raised.
Trump told reporters Oct. 19 that he would try to end the war regardless of who attended. He also said someone else should negotiate for Ukraine and that he wanted a meeting in China to address nuclear weapons and denuclearization. Peskov said any final settlement would require participation from Kyiv.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha argued that talks among Ukrainian, U.S. and Russian leaders could bring the war to an earlier end. He said a meeting of the U.S., Russia and China would instead encourage Putin to continue fighting.
The Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Economic Leaders’ Meeting is scheduled for Nov. 18-19 in Shenzhen, China. No separate meeting among Trump, Putin and Xi has been agreed.
Zelenskyy said Oct. 20 that he wanted the United States to convey peace ideas discussed with European partners in Oslo to Russia. He also raised the possibility of a meeting among Ukrainian, U.S. and Russian leaders. His office said U.S. presidential envoy Steve Witkoff would travel to Russia on Oct. 21 to relay ideas discussed in Oslo, including security guarantees, and report back to Ukraine.
