China is not interested in holding a separate trilateral meeting with Russia and the United States to discuss a ceasefire in Ukraine, German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier said in an interview with German television.
Steinmeier said he raised the issue with Chinese President Xi Jinping during his visit to Beijing on Friday. According to the German head of state, Xi indicated that Vladimir Putin, Donald Trump and himself could meet within the framework of the upcoming Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit.
However, the Chinese leader specified that Ukraine would not be included in the forum's agenda.
According to him, Xi Jinping defined the war as a European conflict and emphasized that Europeans must be present at the negotiating table to resolve it. The German president added that the Chinese leader's surprise at raising the issue of a separate meeting was visible.
The proposal is from Vladimir Putin
The information comes against the backdrop of proposals for a meeting between Putin, Trump and Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the APEC forum, which will be held in mid-November in the Chinese city of Shenzhen.
The idea was proposed by the Russian president. Putin indicated that issues related to nuclear disarmament could be discussed at such a meeting.
US President Donald Trump expressed approval of the proposal and said that he would be ready to discuss other topics, including the war in Ukraine.
From Steinmeier's words, it is clear that a possible meeting of the three leaders within the APEC framework does not automatically mean separate negotiations on Ukraine. Beijing's position, presented by the German president, is that European participation is necessary in discussing the future of the conflict.
Sources: bta.bg