U.S. President Donald Trump said he is open to a three-way meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese leader Xi Jinping, Reuters reported.
“If President Xi wants to have it, I’d have it,” Trump said.
He said the meeting could focus on nuclear disarmament. “We would have it to talk about nuclear weapons and denuclearization,” Trump told reporters.
On October 19, sources told The Wall Street Journal that Putin had proposed a three-way summit with Trump and Xi to discuss Ukraine. Putin reportedly wants to negotiate an end to the war on terms favorable to Moscow, without Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky taking part. Beijing has indicated that it would not object if Trump agrees to the meeting, the Journal’s sources said.
In recent weeks, Trump has renewed pressure on Ukraine, demanding that it stop striking Russian oil refineries, hold a presidential election, and reach an agreement with Russia. Trump has also authorized imports of Russian diesel fuel into the United States and decided against imposing “sanctions from hell” on Russia.
It is unclear exactly why Trump decided to escalate tensions with Ukraine. He is thought to have agreed to the diesel deal with Putin to appease Americans unhappy with rising diesel prices caused by the U.S. war with Iran and to improve his approval ratings ahead of congressional elections. Trump himself maintains that he simply does not want to “push” Russia “away” from peace talks with Ukraine.
Read more
- Trump calls for Ukraine to choose a new president as relations with Zelensky hit their lowest point since Oval Office clash
- ‘We’re done,’ Zelensky says, as Ukraine resumes strikes on Russian oil refineries. The Kremlin claims the attacks never stopped.
- ‘We’re being used as a front,’ Zelensky says of Trump’s diesel deal with Putin
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