Trump open to Putin-Xi summit and says someone else should negotiate for Ukraine

Trump opens the door to a three-way meeting

US President Donald Trump said on 19 October 2026 that he would attend a trilateral meeting with Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping if the two leaders wanted one. Speaking to reporters at the White House, he said such a gathering could take place in China in November, when the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit is held in Shenzhen on 18 and 19 November. Trump said the main subject would be nuclear weapons and denuclearisation, although the Ukraine war could also come up. He described a nuclear arms deal as a very large favour to the world, but no meeting has been agreed.

On Ukraine, Trump said he was still negotiating with Putin and had no intention of breaking off that dialogue. He praised Xi for his conduct on Ukraine so far and said the same about his stance toward Russia.

Putin's proposal and the Kremlin's reply

The Wall Street Journal reported on 19 October, citing people familiar with the discussions, that Putin had proposed a summit with Trump and Xi next month to discuss Ukraine. The newspaper said Putin hoped to use the improved relationship with Trump to negotiate an end to the four-year conflict on terms favouring Moscow. A senior American official said Trump had not accepted the proposal but might be open to it. The report said a summit without Zelensky would be without precedent and would alarm capitals in Europe and beyond.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the possibility had been mentioned during the most recent phone call between Putin and Trump, but no specific proposals had been made about the meeting, its agenda or its content. He added that a definitive agreement was impossible without someone from Kyiv taking part. The Kremlin said it greatly appreciated US mediation and peacekeeping efforts.

Zelensky left out and Kyiv's warning

Trump again criticised Zelensky, saying he was not helping much and did not appear to want to end the war, and that someone else should now negotiate on behalf of Ukraine. He said Zelensky should have concluded a deal long ago and that a better agreement would have kept a million more people alive. Asked about Kyiv's complaints that Starlink service had been cut for vehicles travelling at high speed, Trump said he did not know who had made that decision but would like to find out.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said a meeting of Putin, Trump and Xi would feed Putin's appetite for self-aggrandisement and give him a status he does not deserve. He said only a serious step toward peace, such as accepting a ceasefire proposal, could earn Putin a seat at that table. Sybiha, writing on social media, also said the Russian economy was at least thirteen times smaller than the US economy and eight times smaller than China's, and that Russia had lost 1.6 million soldiers killed or wounded.

Sanctions pause and European response

Tensions between Washington and Kyiv have grown in recent days. On Friday, 16 October, Trump suspended sanctions against Russia that had already been decided, for 60 days, after earlier agreeing with Moscow to supply Russian diesel to the United States. On Sunday, 18 October, he defended the pause against criticism, including from within his own Republican Party, saying he did not want to do anything that would foolishly take Russia off the negotiating table.

The European Union also responded. EU foreign affairs spokesperson Christian Wigand said at a Brussels briefing that if Putin wanted to end the war, he could simply stop it. He pointed out that Russia had shown no sign of honouring the energy ceasefire announced by the US in the week of 12 October, and he cited recent Russian attacks on Ukrainian energy infrastructure. The EU said Europe had a key role to play in any future agreement and would defend its interests.

What comes next

The Kremlin has confirmed that the summit idea came up during the last call between Putin and Trump, and both leaders are expected to be in China on 18 and 19 November for APEC. As of 19 October, no date, agenda or Ukrainian participation had been agreed. Trump has said he would attend if Putin and Xi wanted a trilateral, while Moscow and Kyiv maintain that any agreement requires Ukraine's involvement.