Putin eyes China summit with Trump, Xi to discuss Ukraine war

Russian President Vladimir Putin has proposed a trilateral summit with US President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping next month to negotiate an end to the Ukraine war on terms favourable to Moscow.

According to The Wall Street Journal, Putin raised the proposal during an October 9 telephone conversation with Trump, which also produced a deal involving Russian diesel supplies to the United States.

The proposed meeting could take place on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit scheduled for November 18 and 19 in Shenzhen, China.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed discussions were ongoing, telling the newspaper: “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.”

However, a senior US official said Trump had not agreed to the summit, although he could be receptive to the proposal.

The plan has raised concerns because Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and European leaders could be excluded from discussions over Ukraine’s future.