Putin pushes for Shenzhen talks involving Trump and Xi

Russian President Vladimir Putin has suggested a three-way summit with Donald Trump and Xi Jinping on the Ukraine war, according to a US newspaper report.

Sources told the paper that Putin hopes to negotiate a peace deal on terms that favour Moscow. Neither the White House nor Xi’s office had replied in public.

A senior US official told the paper that Trump had not formally agreed, yet he could be receptive to the idea given his push to settle the war.

How the Putin proposal began

One source, a former Russian intelligence official, laid out how the idea arose. Peskov also spoke to the paper directly. Putin first raised the idea during a phone call with Trump on October 9. That call also produced a deal that lets the United States buy Russian diesel.

Moscow has proposed holding the talks next to the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit, set for November 18 and 19 in Shenzhen.

Sources close to recent Moscow-Beijing contacts said Russian diplomats put the plan to Chinese officials. Those officials signalled no objection. They set one condition, that Trump takes part.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed to the paper that talks about a possible meeting were under way.

What Peskov and Rubio said

“There is no clear understanding yet regarding the meeting itself or its potential agenda,” Peskov said. Still, he added, all three sides accept that such a meeting is hypothetically possible.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke during a trip to Uzbekistan. He said talks about a meeting had taken place, but he did not know whether anything was final.

The president has been clear, Rubio added: Trump would like the war to end.

Worry in Ukraine and Europe

The plan has raised concern in Ukraine. Its allies in Washington and Europe share the worry, since Ukraine would have no seat at the table.

According to the report, talks without Ukraine and Europe risk settling the country’s future without its consent. As a result, Ukraine’s sovereignty and security could be at risk.

This proposal suggested Putin wanted to benefit from warmer ties with Trump. Besides the diesel deal, Washington has suspended some sanctions on Russia.

On Sunday, Trump said talks to end the war were making great progress. However, he accused Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of not wanting a settlement.

Zelenskyy has said the latest American moves will hurt Ukraine.

On Friday, Trump signed an order that suspends major sanctions and tariffs under the Graham Act, a law he approved only last month. Rubio said the president will use as much as two months to judge the economic effect.

Trump said Russian diesel flows would begin near 2.3 million barrels this month and later reach about 7.6 million barrels every month.

Rubio also said the United States sees nothing good coming from the war, warning of the real risk that it escalates or spreads into another country.

For now, the summit remains only an idea, and Putin’s team has not said who would host it or attend.