Putin Proposes Trump-Xi Summit on Ukraine That Would Leave Zelensky Out, WSJ Reports

Russian President Vladimir Putin has proposed that he, President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping meet next month to talk about ending the war in Ukraine, a summit that would leave Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky out of the room, the Wall Street Journal reported Sunday, citing people familiar with the discussions.

Putin raised the idea during an Oct. 9 phone call with Trump, according to a former Russian intelligence officer briefed on the matter who spoke to the Journal. The proposal would have the three leaders negotiate a settlement to the nearly four-year conflict on terms favorable to Moscow. The Kremlin has suggested holding the meeting on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Shenzhen, China, on Nov. 18 and 19.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed to the Journal that discussions about a potential meeting were taking place. “There is no clear understanding yet regarding the meeting itself or its potential agenda, although all three parties acknowledge the hypothetical possibility of such a meeting taking place,” he said.

A senior U.S. official told the Journal that Trump had not agreed to the summit, though the president could be receptive given his long-standing promise to end the war quickly. The White House and the Chinese Embassy in Washington did not respond to requests for comment.

A format that alarms Europe and Kyiv

A three-way summit on Ukraine without Ukraine would be without precedent, the Journal noted, and would ring alarm bells in European capitals and Kyiv, where officials have worried about losing American support. Russian officials proposed the idea to Beijing through diplomatic channels, and the Chinese side has indicated it would not object if Trump agrees, the Journal reported.

Yun Sun, director of the China program at the Stimson Center in Washington, told the Journal that “China wants to be seen as the pivot of the great powers, and potentially as a mediator between the U.S. and Russia.” At the same time, Chinese officials are uneasy about letting a geopolitical side show overshadow China’s use of APEC to demonstrate its role in the region, the Journal reported.

The former Russian intelligence officer said Putin has proposed the trilateral format before. He described Putin’s ambitions for the format as a second Yalta summit, one that would divide the globe into spheres of influence.

Diesel deal, stalled sanctions and a strained U.S.-Ukraine relationship

The same Oct. 9 call that produced the summit idea also produced a deal for the United States to buy Russian diesel fuel and help sell it on the global market, according to the Journal. Trump has since halted implementation of sanctions against Russia that were due to take effect under a bipartisan bill he signed last month, a move that drew criticism from lawmakers, including some of his allies.

The administration’s relationship with Zelensky has visibly deteriorated. On Sunday, Trump wrote on Truth Social that Zelensky “doesn’t want to end this war” and urged him to stop striking Russian diesel refineries, following Ukraine’s attack on an oil terminal in St. Petersburg earlier that day, according to the Journal. U.S.-led efforts to broker an end to the war remain largely stalled.

Reporting based on coverage by The Wall Street Journal and egov.mn.