Trump, Putin, Xi could hold meeting in China; discuss end to Ukraine conflict: Moscow

A trilateral meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin, US President Donald Trump, and Chinese President Xi Jinping could be held next month to discuss an end to the Ukraine conflict, Moscow announced on Monday.Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said the meeting was possible on the sidelines of next month’s APEC summit in China, although the idea was yet to be finalised."Given that all three heads of state may potentially take part in the summit in China, the subject of such a hypothetical meeting was indeed raised.

It was raised, but no specific proposals or agreements were discussed or put forward by anyone, either regarding the meeting itself or the possible agenda and content of that meeting," said Peskov.However, Kyiv is critical of the idea, stating Ukraine’s absence in such a meet would deliver results opposite to peace-making efforts.Ukrainian foreign minister Andrii Sybiha alleged the meeting would only encourage Putin to continue the conflict."A trilateral meeting between the leaders of Ukraine, the US, and Russia could help end the war sooner.

A trilateral meeting between the leaders of Russia, China, and the US would do only the opposite: encourage Putin to continue this war," he said in a post on X.Moscow acknowledged that a final peace deal wasn’t possible without Ukraine’s involvement.When asked whether Putin believed he could achieve a deal without Ukraine's participation, Peskov said it was obvious that Ukraine would need to be involved in any final peace deal."Of course, a final settlement is impossible without the participation of someone in Kyiv who is prepared to take responsibility," he said, as cited by Reuters.The last US-mediated peace ⁠talks were in February before the US and ⁠Israel began their Iran offensive.According to AFP, Putin has repeatedly refused meeting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy without a final peace agreement.

He has also questioned Zelensky’s authority to sign such an agreement, citing the expiry of his five-year presidential term and the continuation of martial law.Ukraine has strongly rejected this position, arguing that Putin’s refusal to meet Zelensky shows he is not interested in ending the war, a claim dismissed by Moscow.You use AI every day. Now get your AI Quotient. Take the AIQ test.