Russian President Vladimir Putin has proposed a trilateral summit with U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping to discuss a potential peace agreement for Ukraine, according to a Wall Street Journal report citing people familiar with the discussions. The proposed meeting, which has not been confirmed by all parties, was mentioned during a October 9 phone call between Putin and Trump that also resulted in a new deal for Moscow to sell diesel oil on the global market.
The Kremlin has suggested holding the trilateral dialogue on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Shenzhen, China, scheduled for November 18–19. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed to the Wall Street Journal that discussions about the meeting are ongoing, stating: “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.”
A senior U.S. official told the Wall Street Journal that Trump has not yet agreed to the summit but has not ruled out the possibility. The proposed talks come amid new U.S. policy shifts regarding Russia, including an October 16 executive order that waived sanctions on Russian diesel exports and reversed restrictions imposed by a bill introduced by the late Senator Lindsey Graham. The White House has not immediately responded to requests for comment on the reported summit proposal.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy criticized the U.S. decision to lift sanctions, stating in a post on X that “the decision to undo all of this, to block all of it, seems wrong to me.” Zelenskyy also accused Trump in a Truth Social post of not wanting to end the war, while Trump defended his actions as necessary to keep Russia engaged in negotiations. The Institute for the Study of War argued in a report that the executive order would enable Russia to prolong the war by removing financial constraints.
The reported summit proposal follows growing concerns among U.S. allies in Europe over Trump’s recent pro-Russia policy shifts, which have drawn criticism even from some members of his own Republican Party. The diesel deal and sanctions relief have raised questions about the U.S. strategy in Ukraine, with some analysts warning that these moves could reduce pressure on Moscow to negotiate in good faith.
The Kremlin has not yet formally confirmed the summit proposal outside of Peskov’s remarks to the Wall Street Journal, and neither the U.S. nor Chinese embassies in Washington have immediately responded to requests for comment.