Trump Open to Meeting Putin and Xi Without Zelensky, Says Ukraine Needs New Negotiator

US President Donald Trump said Monday, Oct. 19, that he was willing to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese leader Xi Jinping in China next month, potentially without President Volodymyr Zelensky, while renewing his criticism of Kyiv and suggesting that someone else should negotiate on Ukraine’s behalf.

Trump said a possible meeting would primarily focus on nuclear disarmament but could also address Russia’s war against Ukraine, despite Kyiv’s objections to negotiations over its future without Kyiv’s participation.

“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 about a possible summit with Putin and Xi.

“We would have it to talk about nuclear weapons and denuclearization,” he added.

Asked whether he would discuss Ukraine at such a meeting, Trump said he would do “whatever I can do to end the war.”

The US president also defended his controversial deal involving Russian diesel exports and his decision to waive new sanctions against Moscow, measures Zelensky has criticized as benefiting Putin while Russian forces continue attacking Ukrainian civilians.

“Zelensky doesn’t know what he’s talking about,” Trump said in response to the Ukrainian leader’s criticism.

“To be honest, I think it’s time for somebody else to negotiate on behalf of Ukraine.”

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Trump’s remarks came hours after a Russian drone struck a public park in the Kharkiv region, killing six civilians, including two children, and injuring 15 others, seven of them children.

Among those killed was a one-year-old girl, Anhelina, who died in her stroller. Her mother also died following the attack.

Zelensky condemned the strike as a “pure atrocity” and renewed his appeal for stronger Western air defenses and continued sanctions on Russia.

“We ask that sanctions on Russia stay in place as long as the killings continue. We ask America to be strong,” he said.

Kyiv Warns Three-Way Summit Would Encourage Putin

The proposed meeting follows a Wall Street Journal report that Putin was seeking talks with Trump and Xi during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Shenzhen, China, on Nov. 18–19.

According to the report, Moscow hopes the meeting could help produce an agreement ending the war on terms favorable to Russia.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha strongly rejected the prospect of the three leaders discussing Ukraine’s future without Kyiv.

“A trilateral meeting between the leaders of Ukraine, the US, and Russia could help end the war sooner,” Sybiha said in a statement on X.

“A trilateral meeting between the leaders of Russia, China, and the US would do only the opposite: encourage Putin to continue this war.”

Sybiha warned that inviting Putin to negotiate alongside the leaders of the world’s two largest economies would give the Russian president international standing he does not deserve.

“He is not a global leader; he is a war criminal,” Sybiha said.

The Ukrainian foreign minister argued that Putin should demonstrate genuine willingness to end the war, including by accepting a ceasefire, before being offered another high-profile diplomatic platform.

Kremlin Confirms Discussions, but No Agreement

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov acknowledged that the possibility of a meeting involving the Russian, American and Chinese leaders had been raised.

“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,” Peskov said.

However, he stressed that no formal proposals, agreements or agenda had been established.

China’s Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said she had no information about a possible trilateral summit.

Peskov also acknowledged that any final settlement would require Ukrainian participation, saying an agreement was impossible without someone from Kyiv willing to assume responsibility.

Putin, however, has repeatedly refused to meet Zelensky before a peace agreement is finalized and has questioned the Ukrainian president’s legitimacy, citing the expiration of his five-year presidential term.

Ukraine has rejected that argument, pointing to its constitutional and legal provisions governing elections during martial law, imposed following Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022.

Trump’s willingness to consider meeting Putin and Xi comes amid growing tensions between Washington and Kyiv over Russia sanctions, intelligence-sharing and military assistance.

Zelensky has criticized Washington’s decision to ease restrictions on Russian diesel exports, warning that additional energy revenues could help Moscow finance its invasion.