Putin Proposes Trump-Xi Summit to End Ukraine War on Moscow's Terms

Vladimir Putin has proposed meeting President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping next month to pursue a Ukraine settlement on terms favorable to Moscow.

The proposed talks would leave Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and European leaders outside the negotiations. Trump has not accepted the invitation, a senior U.S. official told the Wall Street Journal.

Moscow has suggested convening the three leaders alongside the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Shenzhen on November 18–19.

Beijing has indicated it would accept the arrangement if Trump agrees, according to people close to discussions between Russian and Chinese officials.

Proposal Remains Preliminary

Putin raised the idea during a telephone call with Trump on October 9, according to a former Russian intelligence officer briefed on the exchange.

The call also led to an agreement for Washington to buy Russian diesel and help market it internationally.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov acknowledged that a possible meeting was under discussion but said neither its format nor its substance had been settled.

“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,” he told the Journal.

The senior U.S. official said Trump could consider the proposal as he seeks to deliver on his pledge to end the war. U.S.-brokered peace efforts have made little progress.

The White House declined to comment. China’s embassy in Washington did not respond to a request for comment.

Moscow Seeks Diplomatic Opening

The initiative comes as Washington moves closer to Moscow while relations with Kyiv deteriorate.

Alongside the diesel agreement, Trump on Friday suspended most sanctions that would have taken effect under bipartisan legislation he signed last month.

The decision drew objections from lawmakers, including some Republicans.

A senior White House official said the president saw limited alternatives for reducing fuel prices.

Energy experts, however, identify the Iran war as the main driver of higher diesel costs and expect the promised Russian supplies to have little effect on prices.

Trump has also demanded that Ukraine halt attacks on Russian refineries and suggested it needs a different president.

After Ukrainian forces struck an oil terminal in St. Petersburg on Sunday, Trump accused Zelensky of obstructing peace.

He said Ukraine was withholding sanctions to keep Moscow engaged in negotiations.

“I WANT THIS WAR END!” he wrote on Truth Social.

China Weighs Opportunity and Risk

For Moscow, the proposed format offers recognition as a leading global power while excluding Europe, which the Kremlin regards as an obstacle to securing victory in Ukraine.

The former Russian intelligence officer described Putin’s ambitions as extending to a new arrangement of global spheres of influence, modeled on the Yalta summit.

Beijing could use the meeting to advance Xi’s effort to position China as a diplomatic broker between Washington and Moscow.

Chinese officials nevertheless have reservations about Ukraine talks overshadowing their APEC plans, according to people close to the discussions.

Xi must also balance his support for Putin against China’s economic relationship with Europe.

Hosting negotiations that exclude Kyiv could deepen European concerns over Beijing’s alignment with Moscow and draw China further into the conflict.