Trump open to Xi, Putin summit focused on nuclear arms

President Donald Trump said Monday he would be willing to join a three-way meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin. He said the talks should center on nuclear arms, not the war in Ukraine. "We would have it to talk about nuclear weapons and denuclearization," Trump told reporters outside the White House, adding, "If President Xi wants to have it, I'd have it," Reuters reported.en.asiatoday.co.kr

His remarks came hours after the Kremlin said such a meeting could take place on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Shenzhen, China, set for November 18-19.haberintelifi.aa.com.tr

Not Focused on Ukraine

"I would do it — not so much for Ukraine, because Russia, frankly, has been fine on Ukraine," Trump said, according to Bloomberg. He said he had not yet agreed to the meeting. He added that the leaders would probably also discuss trade and that the summit would likely be held in China.thehill.com+1

Trump has talked for two years about wanting a deal with Russia and China to cut nuclear arsenals, but neither Putin nor Xi has shown much interest. Beijing has not said it is willing to host a three-way summit. Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said she had no information about a possible meeting.axios.com+1

Kremlin Floats the Idea

The idea gained attention after The Wall Street Journal News Corp ↘ 0.53% reported that Putin proposed the meeting during an October 9 phone call with Trump, hoping to discuss ending the Ukraine war on terms favorable to Moscow. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Monday that "the subject of such a hypothetical meeting was indeed raised," but that "no specific proposals or agreements were discussed or put forward by anyone". Secretary of State Marco Rubio said he did not "know if anything has been finalised".haberintelifi.aa.com.tr+2

Kyiv Objects, Trump Hits Back

Ukraine pushed back. "A trilateral meeting between the leaders of Russia, China, and the US would do only the opposite: encourage Putin to continue this war," Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha wrote.thehill.com

Trump also criticized Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who had said Trump was "on the wrong side of history" after he waived sanctions so the US could buy Russian diesel. Trump said Zelenskyy did not know what he was talking about. "Maybe it's time for Zelensky to get someone else to negotiate," Trump told reporters before leaving for a midterm rally in Kansas.thehill.com