Putin proposes November summit with Trump and Xi on Ukraine

Russian President Vladimir Putin has proposed a three-way summit with United States President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping next month to negotiate an end to the Ukraine conflict on terms favorable to Moscow, according to a report by The Wall Street Journal (WSJ). While the diplomatic push builds on warming communication between Moscow and Washington, excluding Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy from the proposed table has sparked deep concern in Kyiv and across European capitals. Citing a former Russian intelligence official briefed on the discussions, The Wall Street Journal reported that Putin first floated the Putin Trump Xi trilateral summit idea during a 90-minute telephone call with Trump on October 9. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov confirmed to the newspaper that preliminary talks regarding a potential meeting are active. “There is no clear understanding yet regarding the meeting itself or its potential agenda, although all three parties acknowledge the hypothetical possibility of such a meeting taking place,” Peskov told The Wall Street Journal.

Shenzhen forum eyed for November Trilateral talks

Sources familiar with the diplomatic outreach told The Wall Street Journal that Moscow suggested holding the three-way discussions alongside the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit, scheduled for November 18 and 19 in the southern Chinese technology hub of Shenzhen. Russian diplomats have already presented the proposal to counterparts in Beijing, and sources close to Moscow-Beijing consultations indicated that Chinese officials would not object provided Trump agrees to attend. Speaking to The Wall Street Journal, a senior US official noted that while Trump has not formally accepted the summit invitation, the American leader remains receptive to the concept as part of his broader drive to settle the war. Direct negotiations among Washington, Moscow, and Beijing without Kyiv at the table mark a sharp departure from earlier Western diplomatic frameworks that insisted on Ukrainian participation in any territorial or security settlement. On Sunday, Trump stated that Ukraine peace negotiations were making "great progress," while defending his administration's engagement with Moscow and criticising Zelenskyy for failing to secure a better settlement two years ago. Explaining his refusal to isolate Moscow on Truth Social, Trump wrote that he can sign a document tied to ongoing hostage negotiations "anytime that I want."

"My decision on Russia is a very simple one. I am in the process of negotiating Peace in the war between Russia and Ukraine, and don’t want to do anything that will drive, foolishly, Russia away from the bargaining table. Great progress is being made, and that includes current hostage negotiations! Signing that document at this time will do that, and I can sign it later, or any time that I want!" Trump wrote.

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Diesel Supply Deal and High-Level Exchanges

Bilateral energy cooperation has accelerated alongside the peace push, with the October 9 phone call producing a pact allowing Washington to purchase Russian diesel fuel and facilitate its distribution across global markets. Following that call, Trump announced on Truth Social that Russia would immediately deliver more than 300,000 tonnes of diesel fuel to American and international buyers, with further shipments planned in the coming months. Russian Presidential Aide Yury Ushakov told reporters on Saturday, as reported by state news agency TASS, that both leaders expressed satisfaction with bilateral communication channels and reviewed petroleum supply plans during their October 9 exchange.

"Putin and Trump had a 'very substantive', even friendly conversation that lasted an hour and a half," Ushakov said, adding that Putin appreciated Washington's focus on dialogue with Moscow despite domestic priorities and Middle East commitments. "An important international event is coming up in China - the APEC summit. At least for now, both the Russian and US leaders are interested in attending. Accordingly, if both leaders are at the same international venue, I assume they will find an opportunity to meet, shake hands and talk," Ushakov told TASS. Momentum for a three-power gathering also follows Xi Jinping's state visit to the United States from September 23 to 25, where the Chinese leader and Trump held what Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi called a “candid and in-depth exchange of views with US President Donald Trump in a friendly atmosphere of mutual respect” on bilateral and global strategic issues.

With Inputs from Agency Threads