Putin, Trump and Xi three-way meeting to discuss Ukraine war proposed by Moscow after US president slammed Zelensky

Vladimir Putin has proposed meeting Donald Trump and Xi Jinping in China next month, potentially on the sidelines of the APEC forum, to discuss matters including the war in Ukraine. The idea comes as Trump has criticised Volodymyr Zelensky and suggested someone else should negotiate for Ukraine, raising concern in Kyiv that talks without its involvement could weaken its position.

The Kremlin said the meeting had been discussed only hypothetically, with no proposals or agenda agreed; Marco Rubio also said talks were not finalised. Trump said he was open to meeting Putin and Xi, while China declined to comment. Ukraine’s foreign minister argued that a Russia, US and China meeting would encourage Putin to continue the war; the report also describes strained US-Ukraine relations and Kyiv’s complaint about access to Starlink.