Trump signals readiness for Shenzhen summit with Putin and Xi

US President Donald Trump signaled on Monday, October 19, that he is prepared to hold high-level trilateral talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese leader Xi Jinping in China next month, dismissing Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and asserting that another representative should negotiate on Kyiv's behalf.

What did Trump propose regarding trilateral talks and the war in Ukraine?

Speaking to reporters following a campaign appearance, Trump confirmed his openness to participating in a three-way summit alongside Putin and Xi on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) leaders' meeting scheduled for November 18–19 in Shenzhen. Trump emphasized that while the primary agenda of such a meeting would focus on global denuclearization, he would address the Ukraine conflict to do "whatever I can do to end the war."

However, Trump downplayed ongoing Russian military pressure, asserting that "Russia, frankly, has been fine on Ukraine. They haven't been doing much." He mounted a robust defense of his administration's recent diesel agreement with Moscow and his decision to waive fresh economic sanctions against Russia—moves that have precipitated a severe rift with Kyiv.

Responding to Zelensky's warning that Washington is aligning with the wrong side of history, Trump issued a blunt rebuke: "Zelensky doesn't know what he's talking about. To be honest, I think it's time for somebody else to negotiate on behalf of Ukraine."

The diplomatic friction unfolds against a backdrop of escalating hostilities on the ground and strained bilateral ties between Washington and Kyiv. Ukrainian officials have accused the United States of withholding battlefield intelligence and intentionally degrading the data transmission speeds of satellite networks used by Ukrainian forces to track aerial threats. Hours before Trump's remarks, a Russian drone strike hit a public park in northeastern Kharkiv, killing six people, including young children.

How have Kyiv, Moscow, and Beijing responded to the summit proposal?

Trump's remarks followed a report by The Wall Street Journal indicating that Moscow was exploring a trilateral mechanism in China to advance a settlement favorable to the Kremlin. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov acknowledged that the prospect of a meeting had been floated given that all three heads of state are slated to be in Shenzhen for the APEC forum. Peskov cautioned, however, that "no substantive proposals or agreements, neither regarding the meeting itself nor its potential agenda and content, have been discussed or put forward by anyone."

While Peskov noted that any definitive peace settlement ultimately requires a signatory from Kyiv willing to take responsibility, Moscow has continuously challenged Zelensky's legal standing following the expiration of his original five-year constitutional term under martial law.

The Ukrainian government firmly rejected the concept of trilateral negotiations conducted in its absence. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiga declared on social media that holding talks without Kyiv would serve only to embolden Russian aggression. "A trilateral meeting between the leaders of Russia, China and the US would do only the opposite: encourage Putin to continue this war," Sybiga said, adding that the Russian president is "not a global leader; he is a war criminal."

In Beijing, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning stated that the ministry had no official information regarding a scheduled tripartite meeting.

According to The Wall Street Journal, European and Ukrainian diplomats are seeking urgent consultations with Washington to clarify the administration’s formal posture heading into the November APEC gathering.