Trump open to meeting Putin, Xi in China

WASHINGTON (AFP) — US President Donald Trump said Monday he is ready to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping in China next month to discuss nuclear disarmament and potentially the war in Ukraine.

The proposed three-way meeting could take place during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Shenzhen on 18 to 19 November.

“We would have it to talk about nuclear weapons and denuclearization,” Trump told reporters.

Asked whether Ukraine would be discussed, Trump said he would do “whatever I can do to end the war.”

However, he criticized Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and defended his recent diesel agreement with Russia and decision to waive new sanctions on Moscow.

“Zelensky doesn’t know what he’s talking about,” Trump said. “To be honest, I think it’s time for somebody else to negotiate on behalf of Ukraine.”

The Kremlin acknowledged discussions about a possible meeting but said no formal proposals or agreements had been made.

“Given that all three heads of state might potentially attend a summit in China, the topic of such a hypothetical meeting has indeed been mentioned,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.

China’s foreign ministry said it had no information about the proposed talks.

Ukraine opposed the prospect of negotiations without its participation, warning that such a meeting could embolden Moscow.

“A trilateral meeting between the leaders of Russia, China and the US would do only the opposite: encourage Putin to continue this war,” Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiga said.

The diplomatic exchanges came as Russia intensified attacks on Ukraine. A Russian drone strike on a park in the northeastern Kharkiv region killed six people, including children, on Monday, Ukrainian authorities said.

Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.