Putin Pitches Three-Way Summit With Trump and Xi as Ukraine Peace Push Intensifies

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A Proposal Takes Shape

Putin has suggested a trilateral meeting with Trump and Xi to settle the four-year-old war, the Wall Street Journal reported on Sunday, citing people familiar with the talks. According to the paper, any deal under discussion would favour Moscow.

The idea reportedly came up in an October 9 phone call between Putin and Trump. A former Russian intelligence officer briefed on the matter told the Journal that the same call produced the US-Russia diesel agreement.

The Kremlin would like to hold the meeting on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Shenzhen, China, on November 18–19, the report says.

What Each Side Says

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed that discussions are taking place. He said, however, that there is no clear picture yet of the meeting itself or its agenda, though all three sides regard it as a theoretical possibility.

A senior US official told the Journal that Trump has not agreed to a summit but could be open to it.

Rubio, speaking to reporters in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, on Monday, said talks about a meeting have taken place and that he does not know whether it has been finalized. The president, he stressed, has been clear that he wants the war to end.

Not an Entirely New Idea

The concept has been circulating for weeks. In early September, Peskov said the possibility of a Putin–Trump–Xi meeting in Shenzhen had come up in a call between the two leaders, as reported by AFP. Russia has indicated that Putin will attend APEC, but the White House has not confirmed Trump's attendance.

Bloomberg reported that Putin plans to attend APEC for the first time since 2017. It also reported that sources close to the Kremlin expect hardly any progress toward ending the war before a G20 summit that Trump will host in Florida in December.

The Diesel Deal and the Sanctions Debate

The summit talk comes after Trump announced a deal that eases US sanctions on Russian diesel exports. Reuters reports that he also signed an order on Friday waiving key sanctions on Moscow. The US Treasury's temporary authorization for Russian diesel transactions runs until April 7, 2027, according to Ukrainian media.

Trump has said the sanctions relief should keep the Kremlin at the negotiating table. High fuel prices, which followed the US conflict with Iran, are also a political issue for the Republican Party ahead of next month's midterm elections, according to press reports.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has reacted with sharp criticism. He told Axios the deal was "not fair and not honest" and warned that it could embolden Putin. He said he would have backed easing energy sanctions only in exchange for a halt to attacks on energy facilities during the winter.

Trump replied that Ukraine should consider a new leader who can make a deal. EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said that easing pressure on Russia now would only help fuel the war.

War Continues on the Ground

Diplomacy has not slowed the fighting. A Russian air strike overnight killed a woman in Kyiv, hit a subway station and damaged a 25-storey residential building, Reuters reports. Last Saturday, a strike on Zaporizhzhia killed at least 20 people, according to AFP and other outlets.

Rubio warned that the war carries real risks of spreading, for example if drones disrupted by electronic warfare stray into a neighbouring country.

Why the Venue Matters

A summit in Shenzhen would put Xi in the host's seat of one of the biggest diplomatic stories in the world. AFP notes that the November summit comes amid deepening ties between Moscow and Beijing. The Chinese embassy in Washington had not responded to Reuters' request for comment at the time of reporting.

For Trump's supporters, the logic is straightforward: a president who is willing to sit down with every key player is more likely to end a war than one who refuses to talk. Critics, including Kyiv, counter that talks held while sanctions are being eased may reward Moscow before it has made any concession.

Outlook

Nothing is confirmed. The White House has not said whether Trump will travel to Shenzhen, and the Kremlin itself speaks only of a possibility. The coming weeks, including how the sanctions waivers play out and whether Ukraine returns to the table, will show whether the summit becomes reality.

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Sources

1. Reuters, "Putin proposes summit with Trump and Xi to discuss Ukraine deal, WSJ says," Oct 19, 2026 – https://www.reuters.com/world/china/putin-proposes-summit-with-trump-xi-discuss-ukraine-deal-wsj-says-2026-10-19/
2. Reuters, "Rubio says Ukraine and Russia should be focused on ending the war," Oct 19, 2026 – https://www.reuters.com/world/china/rubio-says-ukraine-russia-should-be-focused-ending-war-2026-10-19/
3. AFP via Korea Times, "Putin, Trump discussed idea of trilateral summit with Xi: Kremlin," Sep 9, 2026 – https://koreatimes.co.kr/world/20260909/putin-trump-discussed-idea-of-trilateral-summit-with-xi-kremlin
4. Axios, "Zelensky tells Axios Trump's diesel deal with Putin 'not fair and not honest'," Oct 9, 2026 – https://axios.com/2026/10/09/exclusive-zelensky-putin-trump-diesel-deal
5. AFP via Gulf News, "Trump, Zelensky clash over diesel deal as Russian strikes kill 21" – https://gulfnews.com/world/americas/trump-zelensky-clash-over-diesel-deal-as-russian-strikes-kill-21-2-1.500706043
6. Kyiv Post (citing Bloomberg), report on Putin's APEC plans – https://www.kyivpost.com/post/85118
7. Ukranews, report on the Treasury diesel authorization – https://ukranews.com/en/news/1180344-gift-for-putin-zelenskyy-calls-trump-s-decision-to-allow-russia-to-export-diesel-unfair

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