WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump indicated on Monday that he was ready to meet Russia's Vladimir Putin and China's Xi Jinping in China next month, saying any summit would focus on denuclearisation but could also include the Ukraine war.
Trump also renewed his criticism of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy — whose country has been fighting off a Russian invasion since 2022 — saying it was "time for somebody else to negotiate on behalf of Ukraine".
The Kremlin said earlier that the Russian, Chinese and US leaders could meet at an Asia-Pacific summit in Shenzhen next month, following a Wall Street Journal report that Putin wanted the three-way talks to 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.
"We would have it to talk about nuclear weapons and denuclearisation."
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 Zelenskyy to warn the US leader he was on the wrong side of history.
"Zelensky doesn't know what he's talking about," Trump said when asked about the Ukrainian leader'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.
Six people, including young children, were killed when a Russian drone struck a park in Ukraine's northeastern Kharkiv region on Monday, the authorities said.
Kyiv insists on involvement
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 Nov 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".
Chinese 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".
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 Zelenskyy until a final peace deal is ready and has repeatedly questioned Zelenskyy's authority to sign a deal following the expiry of his five-year term under martial law.
© New Straits Times Press (M) Bhd