United States President Donald Trump has indicated he is willing to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping in China next month, saying discussions would focus on denuclearisation and could also cover the war in Ukraine. Trump made the remarks on Monday, while renewing his criticism of…...
United States President Donald Trump has indicated he is willing to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping in China next month, saying discussions would focus on denuclearisation and could also cover the war in Ukraine.
Trump made the remarks on Monday, while renewing his criticism of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, whose country has been fighting Russia’s invasion since 2022.
“It’s time for somebody else to negotiate on behalf of Ukraine,” Trump said, questioning Zelensky’s role in efforts to end the conflict.
The Kremlin had earlier said the three leaders could meet on the sidelines of an Asia-Pacific summit scheduled to take place in Shenzhen next month.
The possibility of a trilateral meeting followed a report by The Wall Street Journal that Putin wanted the talks to help broker a peace deal favourable to Moscow.
“I would do it, not so much for Ukraine, because Russia, frankly, has been fine on Ukraine. They haven’t been doing much,” Trump told reporters when asked if he would attend a meeting with Putin and Xi to discuss Ukraine.
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“We would have it to talk about nuclear weapons and denuclearization.”
Pressed on whether he would discuss Ukraine at any Xi-Putin summit, Trump replied that he would do “whatever I can do to end the war.”
But Trump defended his recent diesel deal with Putin and decision to waive new sanctions on Moscow, which has opened a huge rift with Kyiv and prompted Zelensky to warn the US leader he is on the wrong side of history.
“Zelensky doesn’t know what he’s talking about,” Trump said when asked about the Ukrainian’s comments. “To be honest, I think it’s time for somebody else to negotiate on behalf of Ukraine.”
Russia has stepped up attacks on Ukraine in recent months, while Kyiv has accused Washington of withholding vital intelligence and slowing speeds on a satellite system used to track incoming strikes.
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Asked about the Wall Street Journal report, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said: “Given that all three heads of state might potentially attend a summit in China, the topic of such a hypothetical meeting has indeed been mentioned.”
The Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) group holds a summit in the Chinese city of Shenzhen on November 18-19. China, Russia and the United States are all members.
But Peskov added that “no substantive proposals or agreements, neither regarding the meeting itself nor its potential agenda and content, have been discussed or put forward by anyone”.
China’s foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said she had no information about a possible meeting.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiga bristled at the suggestion of a meeting without Kyiv.
“A trilateral meeting between the leaders of Russia, China and the US would do only the opposite: encourage Putin to continue this war,” he said.
Putin, he insisted on social media, was “not a global leader; he is a war criminal”.
The Kremlin’s Peskov said that “a final settlement is impossible without the participation of someone from Kyiv who is prepared to take on the responsibility”.
But Putin has repeatedly ruled out meeting Zelensky until after a final peace deal is ready and has repeatedly questioned Zelensky’s authority to sign a deal following the expiry of his five-year term under martial law.
AFP