Putin wants Trump, Xi in Ukraine summit without Zelensky

President Vladimir Putin is seeking a tripartite dialogue with President Donald Trump and President Xi Jinping regarding a deal on Russia’s war against Ukraine.

The summit would "discuss the situation in Ukraine in an attempt to reach an agreement on ending the four-year conflict that would benefit Moscow," according to The Wall Street Journal.

As of now, President Volodymyr Zelensky is not expected at the meeting scheduled to be held on the sidelines of the November 18–19 APEC summit in Shenzhen, China.

"It's going very well," President Trump replied Sunday evening after White House reporters questioned him about a potential parley with his Russian and Chinese counterparts.

Russia's move to have the ear of the global powers in a negotiation on the Ukrainian conflict coincides with renewed relations between Washington and Moscow.

Trump issued an executive order on October 16, waiving new United States sanctions and tariffs against Russia just days before they were scheduled to take effect.

The U.S. has approved a supply of Russian diesel, while the Treasury Department issued a temporary general license, reversing a ban on Russian oil and gas imports that began in 2022.

On Sunday, Zelensky communicated with the American leader's envoys, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, as both sides prepare for the next steps in diplomacy.

The head of state said everyone, "except Russia," has been waiting for peace over the past four and a half years, decrying the constant strikes across several regions.

"Peace comes only through strength and cooperation built on trust," Zelensky wrote on X, adding that ​Ukraine remains ready to work constructively and toward a real result.

Putin wants Trump, Xi in Ukraine summit without Zelensky