Russian President Vladimir Putin has proposed a meeting with US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping next month to discuss the Ukraine war, seeking a settlement favorable to Moscow as ties between Washington and the Kremlin show signs of warming, The Wall Street Journal reported.
The proposed trilateral summit could take place on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit scheduled for November 18 and 19 in Shenzhen, China. However, Trump has not agreed to the meeting, a senior US official told WSJ. The proposed format has raised concerns because Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and European leaders would be excluded from discussions about the conflict.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed discussions about a possible meeting but said there was no clear agreement on its agenda or whether it would take place.
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Putin seeks to capitalize on warming ties with Trump
Putin reportedly floated the proposal during a phone conversation with Trump on October 9, according to a former Russian intelligence officer cited by the WSJ. The call also produced an arrangement involving US purchases of Russian diesel fuel and efforts to facilitate its sale on international markets.
The proposal comes as US-led efforts to end the war remain largely stalled. Trump, who had promised to end the conflict on his first day back in office, has increasingly expressed frustration with Zelensky over Ukrainian strikes on Russian energy infrastructure.
Washington has also paused the implementation of sanctions that were to be imposed under a bipartisan bill Trump signed last month. The decision drew criticism from lawmakers, including some of the president’s allies.
A senior White House official told the WSJ that Trump made the decisions after seeing few other viable options to lower fuel prices. Energy experts cited by the newspaper, however, said the war involving Iran was the main driver of rising diesel prices and that additional Russian supplies were unlikely to significantly affect the market.
In a Truth Social post on Sunday, Trump accused Zelensky of targeting Russian diesel refineries and questioned his commitment to ending the conflict.
“I WANT THIS WAR END!” Trump wrote, explaining that he was holding back on sanctions because he did not want to drive Moscow away from negotiations.
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China could strengthen its diplomatic role
A meeting in China would give Xi an opportunity to strengthen Beijing’s position as a global diplomatic power and present the country as a potential intermediary between Washington and Moscow.
Russian officials have reportedly raised the proposal with Beijing through diplomatic channels. People familiar with the discussions told the WSJ that China would not object if Trump agreed to participate.
“China wants to be seen as the pivot of the great powers, and potentially as a mediator between the U.S. and Russia,” Yun Sun, director of the China program at the Stimson Center, said.
However, the proposed summit could complicate Beijing’s relations with Europe. China has sought to maintain its economic ties with European countries while continuing its support for Moscow. A high-profile meeting on Ukraine could intensify concerns among European governments about Beijing’s position in the conflict.
Why excluding Ukraine matters
For Putin, the summit would reinforce Russia’s status as a major global power while limiting Europe‘s influence over negotiations. The former Russian intelligence officer cited by the WSJ said Putin viewed the proposed format as a potential modern equivalent of the 1945 Yalta conference, where Allied leaders discussed the post-war order.
The idea also raises concerns in Taiwan, which Beijing claims as its territory and has not ruled out taking by force. A meeting in which three major powers discuss Ukraine without Kyiv could intensify fears that the future of smaller states might be negotiated without their participation.
The summit remains unconfirmed, with Trump’s response still uncertain. Any agreement to proceed would put the spotlight on whether Washington, Moscow and Beijing can advance negotiations without Ukraine’s direct involvement.
