Putin proposes summit with Trump and Xi to discuss Ukraine deal, WSJ says
Summary
Russian President Vladimir Putin proposed a summit with U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Shenzhen on November 18 to 19. The meeting would discuss ending the Ukraine conflict on terms favoring Moscow. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said no clear understanding existed on the meeting or agenda, while a U.S. official said Trump had not agreed but might be receptive. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned that Trump’s diesel deal and sanctions waiver could embolden Putin and prolong the war.
Key Facts
- Putin reportedly made the proposal during an October 9 telephone call with Trump that also produced a diesel deal between Russia and the United States.
- The Wall Street Journal cited people familiar with the discussions and a former Russian intelligence officer briefed on the matter.
- The White House, Kremlin, and Russian and Chinese embassies in Washington had not immediately responded to requests for comment.
- Peskov said all three parties acknowledged the hypothetical possibility of a meeting, but that its agenda remained unclear.
Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks to officers as he visits one of the command posts of the Joint Group of the Russian Forces, at an undisclosed location, Oct. 16, in this image taken from video provided by Russian Presidential Press Service.AP-Yonhap
Russian President Vladimir Putin has proposed a summit next month with US President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping to negotiate an end to the four-year-old Ukraine conflict that would favour Moscow, the Wall Street Journal reported on Sunday, citing people familiar with the discussions.
The proposed summit comes amid warming ties between Trump and Putin especially after the US President announced a deal to buy Russian diesel and signed an order on Friday waiving key sanctions on Moscow.
Citing a former Russian intelligence officer briefed on the matter, the paper said that Putin's suggestion came in an October 9 telephone call with Trump that also yielded the diesel deal between the two countries.
The White House did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment, while the Kremlin could not be immediately reached outside regular business hours. The Russian and Chinese embassies in Washington did not immediately reply to requests for comment.
The Kremlin has suggested holding the trilateral dialogue on the sidelines of the upcoming Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit, the WSJ report said, citing people familiar with thediscussions. That summit is set to take place on November 18 to 19 in Shenzhen.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed to the Journal that discussions were taking place over a potential meeting.
“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,” he told the Wall Street Journal.
A senior US official told the Journal that Trump had not agreed to such a summit, but he could be receptive to the idea.
Trump's diesel deal with Putin and the executive order waiving sanctions on Moscow have drawn criticism from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, who has warned it would embolden Putin and prolong the war.
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