US President Donald Trump on Monday said he was open to holding trilateral talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping, while suggesting that Ukraine should have someone else negotiate on its behalf in the war with Russia.Asked whether he would meet Putin and Xi without Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Trump said: “Anything I can do to end the war, whether somebody’s there or not.”Trump said the proposed meeting would primarily focus on nuclear weapons and denuclearisation, although trade and other issues could also be discussed.“We would have it to talk about nuclear weapons and denuclearization,” Trump told reporters outside the White House. “If President Xi wants to have it, I’d have it.”The remarks came after the Kremlin said a possible trilateral meeting had been discussed and could take place on the sidelines of next month’s Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in China. The meeting has not been formally confirmed.
Trump questions Zelenskyy’s role in negotiations
Trump renewed his criticism of Zelenskyy, arguing that the Ukrainian leader should have reached a settlement with Russia earlier and questioning his handling of the conflict.“Zelenskyy doesn’t know what he’s talking about,” Trump said, responding to the Ukrainian president’s criticism of the US administration.“To be honest, I don’t think—I think it’s time for somebody else to negotiate on behalf of Ukraine, because what’s happened, very little land has moved, but a million people, a tremendous number of people are dead,” Trump asserted. “They’re losing their male population. Ukraine could have had this thing settled a long time ago if he would have listened to me, and you remember the Oval Office, he would have had this settled a long time ago. Maybe it’s time for Zelenskyy to get somebody else to negotiate.”Trump’s comments come amid growing tensions between Washington and Kyiv over US policy towards Russia, including the easing of certain sanctions and concerns over disruptions to Ukraine’s satellite communications and intelligence-sharing arrangements.
Putin’s reported proposal for trilateral summit
The Wall Street Journal reported that Putin had proposed a trilateral summit with Trump and Xi during an October 9 phone call with the US president. The meeting could take place during the APEC summit in Shenzhen, China, scheduled for November 18 and 19, the report said.Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told the newspaper that discussions about a possible meeting were underway, but there was no clear understanding of the meeting or its agenda.Trump said he would be willing to participate if Xi supported the proposal, describing denuclearisation as a key objective. He also indicated that the leaders could discuss trade.The potential summit has raised questions about Ukraine’s representation in discussions over the war. Zelenskyy has also said that a possible trilateral meeting involving Putin could take place in the United States during the G20 summit in December, although confirmation from Moscow and Washington was still awaited.
