Putin proposes Trump-Xi summit on Ukraine without Zelensky

Russian President Vladimir Putin has proposed meeting President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping next month to negotiate an end to the four-year war in Ukraine. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky would not take part, according to people familiar with the discussions cited by The Wall Street Journal News Corp ↗ 1.55%. The Journal said the plan aims for a deal that would favor Moscow. It reported that a summit on Ukraine without Zelensky would be unprecedented and would alarm European capitals.wsj.com

Putin reportedly raised the idea during an Oct. 9 phone call with Trump. The same call also produced a deal for the U.S. to buy Russian diesel and help sell it on the global market, according to Reuters via BusinessLine.timesnownews.com

Shenzhen floated as venue

The Kremlin has suggested holding the talks on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit, set for Nov. 18–19 in Shenzhen, China. Moscow has raised the idea with Beijing through diplomatic channels, and China has signaled it would not object if Trump agrees, Times Now reported, citing the Journal. UPI reported that the summit is already being watched as a possible venue for a Trump-Xi meeting.timesnownews.com+1

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed that a meeting had been discussed but said nothing was settled. "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," he told the Journal. A senior U.S. official said Trump had not agreed, though he may be open to the idea as he tries to keep his promise to end the war.timesnownews.com

"China wants to be seen as the pivot of the great powers, and potentially as a mediator between the U.S. and Russia," said Yun Sun of the Stimson Center.timesnownews.com

Tensions between Washington and Kyiv

The proposal comes as relations between Trump and Zelensky are getting worse. On Friday, Trump paused sanctions on Russia that were due under a bipartisan bill he signed last month. On Sunday, he defended that decision on Truth Social. He said Zelensky "doesn't want to end this war, and probably never did" and accused him of targeting Russian diesel refineries.afp.com+1

Trump's post came after Ukraine launched one of its largest drone attacks of the year overnight into Sunday. The strikes hit the St. Petersburg Oil Terminal, despite Trump's demand that Kyiv stop attacking Russian energy sites. Zelensky spoke with U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner on Sunday to try to ease tensions. He has warned that siding with Moscow would be a "historic mistake" for Washington.cnn.com+2