Russian President Vladimir Putin has proposed meeting with US President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping in November to discuss ending the war in Ukraine on terms favorable to Moscow. This was reported by The Wall Street Journal, citing people familiar with the talks.
The idea was presented by Putin during a telephone conversation with Trump on October 9. According to The Wall Street Journal, the Kremlin has proposed that the conversation be held on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation meeting, scheduled for November 18-19 in Shenzhen, China.
There is no confirmation yet that the meeting will take place. A U.S. official told The Wall Street Journal that Trump had not agreed to participate but could accept the proposal because of his stated desire to end the conflict. The White House and the Chinese Embassy in Washington did not respond to requests for comment, according to information cited by Reuters.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed that a possible meeting was being discussed, but stressed the lack of specifics. "There is still no clear understanding of the meeting itself or its possible agenda, although all three sides recognize the hypothetical possibility of it taking place," Peskov told The Wall Street Journal.
The proposed formula does not include Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. That would leave Ukraine and European countries out of talks on the future of the war, which is already causing concern among Kiev's allies. In a separate report, the Associated Press reported that Washington is simultaneously pushing for talks between delegations from the United States, Ukraine and Russia, without the participation of the heads of state.
According to The Wall Street Journal, Russian representatives have also presented the idea to Beijing through diplomatic channels. China would not object to such a meeting if Trump agreed to participate. However, there has been no announced date, agreed agenda or official confirmation from Washington and Beijing.
Sources: wsj.com, forth.news, apnews.com