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Putin Wants Trump and Xi to Decide Ukraine’s Future at Three-Way Summit in China, WSJ Reports
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Russian leader Vladimir Putin has proposed holding a trilateral summit with US President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping in November to discuss the war in Ukraine and pursue a potential settlement favorable to Moscow, according to Suspilne on October 19, citing The Wall Street Journal.
The proposed meeting would take place on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit, scheduled for November 18–19 in Shenzhen, China, the newspaper reported.
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According to one source, Putin raised the proposal during a phone conversation with Trump on October 9, during which the two leaders reportedly reached an agreement on US purchases of Russian diesel fuel and assistance in facilitating its sales on international markets.
Peskov confirmed that discussions about a possible trilateral meeting were underway but stressed that neither the format nor the agenda had been finalized.
However, a senior US official said Trump had not agreed to participate in the proposed summit. The official suggested that the American president might nevertheless be receptive to the idea, given his stated commitment to fulfilling his campaign promise to resolve the war in Ukraine.
Meanwhile, Russian officials have reportedly presented the proposal to Beijing through diplomatic channels. According to sources cited by the newspaper, Chinese representatives indicated they would not oppose the meeting if Trump supported the initiative.
According to Suspilne, for Moscow, the proposed summit represents an opportunity to reinforce Russia’s position among the world's major powers while potentially shaping negotiations over Ukraine without direct European participation.
The Kremlin views Europe as a major obstacle to achieving its objectives in Ukraine, making a trilateral format involving Washington and Beijing particularly attractive to Moscow, the outlet reported.
The potential summit could also strengthen Xi’s efforts to position China as an influential diplomatic mediator, particularly if Beijing hosts discussions involving the leaders of the United States and Russia.
However, the proposed format presents diplomatic challenges for China, whose officials reportedly fear that discussions about Ukraine could overshadow Beijing’s broader objectives for the APEC summit.
According to the report, Chinese authorities are concerned that the war in Ukraine, which they regard as a secondary geopolitical issue in the context of the summit, could divert attention from their plans to showcase China's regional influence.
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A trilateral meeting could also draw Beijing more directly into diplomatic efforts surrounding the war and provoke criticism from European governments already concerned about China's increasingly close relationship with Moscow.
The discussions come amid renewed debate over Washington’s approach to pressuring Russia into negotiations, particularly following Trump's decision to delay additional sanctions against Moscow.
According to BBC News on October 19, the US president blocked several sanctions targeting Russia just two days before they were scheduled to take effect, arguing that further economic restrictions could jeopardize ongoing peace efforts.
Trump defended the decision as necessary to preserve the possibility of a negotiated settlement. Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy expressed concern that Washington’s recent actions increasingly appeared to place pressure on Kyiv to accept Moscow’s demands rather than intensify pressure on Russia.
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