Russian President Vladimir Putin has suggested convening a trilateral summit alongside U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping next month to negotiate an end to the war in Ukraine, according to reporting by The Wall Street Journal.
The proposal, first raised by Putin during an Oct. 9 telephone conversation with Trump, would convene the three leaders on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit scheduled for Nov. 18 and 19 in Shenzhen, China. Notably, the proposed discussions would completely exclude Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, an arrangement that has sparked immediate unease among European allies and officials in Kyiv.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov confirmed to The Wall Street Journal that talks regarding a potential meeting were underway, though nothing has been finalized.
“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 said.
A senior U.S. official told the newspaper that while Trump has not formally committed to the gathering, he may be open to the idea as part of his stated push to swiftly bring the war to a close.
Mounting friction between Washington and Kyiv
The disclosure of the proposal comes amid intensifying friction between the White House and the Ukrainian government. Over the weekend, Trump mounted a public defense of his administration’s diplomatic strategy toward Moscow, pointing to an executive order issued Oct. 18 that waived fresh sanctions on Russia, as well as an earlier move to temporarily lift sanctions on Russian diesel shipments.
On Sunday, Trump claimed on Truth Social that peace negotiations were achieving “great progress” and stated he did not want to “do anything that will drive, foolishly, Russia away from the bargaining table.” Trump also accused Zelenskyy of not wanting to halt the fighting and suggested Ukraine should have reached a settlement years earlier.
Zelenskyy forcefully pushed back against the U.S. policy shifts, warning that easing economic pressure allows Moscow to sustain its military campaign. In an interview with Bloomberg on Sunday, Zelenskyy said that “steps have been taken to convince Ukraine to capitulate,” adding that while he hoped Washington did not intend to end the war at Ukraine’s expense, “that’s how it looks.”
The policy changes have also drawn criticism from independent defense analysts. The Institute for the Study of War said in a report that Trump’s sanctions waiver “will only enable Russia to continue financing and protracting the war in Ukraine without any proper incentives that may force Russia to engage in any meaningful peace negotiations.”
Escalating strikes and technological curbs
The diplomatic maneuvering follows a short-lived “energy ceasefire” brokered by Trump on Oct. 11. That pause collapsed within days after continued Russian bombardments prompted Ukrainian forces to resume cross-border attacks on Russian fuel facilities, CNBC reported.
Over the weekend, Kyiv launched more than 1,000 drones toward targets inside Russia, setting blazes at a refinery and fuel export terminal in St. Petersburg, while Russian forces struck Kyiv with ballistic missiles.
Bilateral tensions have also extended to battlefield technology. Kyiv recently alleged that Washington directed restrictions on Starshield, the military-oriented version of SpaceX’s Starlink satellite system, limiting connectivity on platforms moving faster than 100 mph, such as interceptor drones. Trump denied ordering any curbs, though SpaceX Chief Executive Elon Musk stated on social media that the U.S. government owns and controls the Starshield network.
Whether the proposed Shenzhen summit will materialize remains uncertain. Neither the White House nor Beijing has formally endorsed the plan, with Chinese officials weighing whether such a high-profile meeting might complicate Beijing’s relations with Europe or overshadow regional economic talks.
