Hague Centre for Strategic Studies
-
Putin proposes Trump-Putin-Xi summit in China on Ukraine war, without Zelensky
Vladimir Putin has proposed a three-way meeting with US President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the APEC summit in Shenzhen on November 18–19 to discuss ending the war in Ukraine on terms favorable to Moscow, The Wall Street Journal reported. The proposed format would exclude Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed the idea is being discussed but said no agenda has been agreed. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on October 19 that talks about the meeting have taken place but no final decision has been made, and Trump has not yet agreed to attend. Ukraine's foreign minister sharply criticized the proposal.