Russian President Vladimir Putin has suggested a meeting with US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping in China next month to discuss the Ukraine war. Moscow is reportedly seeking a settlement that favors it at a time when relations between Washington and the Kremlin appear to be thawing.
The summit could be held on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit, scheduled for November 18 and 19 in Shenzhen. A senior US official mentioned that Trump has not agreed. The format has drawn concern because Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and European leaders would have no seat at the table. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov acknowledged that a possible meeting was under discussion but said that neither its agenda nor whether it will happen had been settled.
Putin tries to build on improving ties with Trump
According to a former Russian intelligence officer, Putin raised the idea during a phone call with Trump on October 9. The same call reportedly led to an arrangement under which the US would buy Russian diesel and help market it internationally.
The proposal arrives while American-led efforts to end the war remain largely at a standstill. Trump, who had vowed to end the conflict on his first day back in office, has grown increasingly irritated with Zelensky over Ukrainian attacks on Russian energy infrastructure. Washington has also put on hold sanctions that were due to take effect under a bipartisan bill Trump signed last month, a move that drew criticism from lawmakers, including some of his allies.
A senior White House official said Trump acted because he saw few other workable ways to bring down fuel prices. Energy experts quoted by the newspaper countered that the war involving Iran is chiefly behind the rise in diesel prices, and that extra Russian supply would do little to change the market.
Trump has accused Zelensky of striking Russian diesel refineries and doubted his commitment to ending the war. Explaining why he was holding off on sanctions, he wrote that he wanted the war to end and did not wish to push Moscow away from talks.
China could gain diplomatic stature
Hosting such a meeting would let Xi bolster Beijing’s standing as a global diplomatic power and cast China as a possible go-between for Washington and Moscow. Russian officials have reportedly sounded out Beijing through diplomatic channels, and people familiar with the talks told that China would not object if Trump took part. Yun Sun, director of the China program at the Stimson Center, said Beijing wants to be seen as the pivot among the great powers and possibly as a mediator between the US and Russia.
The summit could, however, strain China’s ties with Europe. Beijing has tried to preserve its economic relationships with European countries while continuing to back Moscow, and a high-profile meeting on Ukraine might deepen European worries about where it stands on the conflict.
Why leaving Ukraine out matters
For Putin, the summit would underline Russia’s status as a major power and reduce Europe’s sway over negotiations. The former Russian intelligence officer mentioned that Putin sees the format as something like a modern version of the 1945 Yalta conference, where Allied leaders discussed the postwar order.
The idea also unsettles Taiwan, which Beijing claims as its territory and has not ruled out taking by force. A gathering of three major powers deciding on Ukraine without Kyiv could heighten fears that the fate of smaller states might be negotiated without them.
The summit is still unconfirmed, and Trump’s answer is unclear. If it goes ahead, attention will turn to whether Washington, Moscow and Beijing can move negotiations forward without Ukraine’s direct participation.
