Donald Trump said Monday, October 19, that he is willing to meet with Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping to seek an end to the war in Ukraine. The statement opens the possibility of a conversation among the three leaders, but it does not amount to a confirmed summit: the Kremlin denied that there is an agreement to hold one during the upcoming APEC meeting in China.
In response to questions from reporters outside the White House, the U.S. president expressed his willingness to take part in efforts to end the conflict. He also left open the possibility of traveling to China if Xi wanted to organize the meeting, and mentioned nuclear weapons and denuclearization as possible topics of discussion.
The Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum summit is scheduled for November 18 and 19 in Shenzhen. That schedule is for the regional forum; it is not an agreed date for a trilateral meeting between the United States, Russia, and China.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed that Putin and Trump discussed the possibility of meeting during their phone call on October 9. However, he clarified that there are no substantive agreements on the meeting or its agenda. On China’s side, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said she had no information about a possible meeting.
Ukraine’s participation is another point of disagreement. Volodymyr Zelenskyy rejected the proposal for a summit without Ukraine, while Trump again questioned Ukraine’s role and suggested that someone else should take over negotiations on Kyiv’s behalf.
For now, what is confirmed is Trump’s public willingness and that the possibility was discussed with Putin. No trilateral meeting has been announced, and no agenda has been agreed on for negotiating an end to the war.
Image: Donald Trump in his official portrait from 2017, in a White House file photo.
