Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Donald Trump
Asked whether he would meet Putin and Xi without Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Trump said: “Anything I can do to end the war, whether somebody’s there or not. Trump said the proposed meeting would primarily focus on nuclear weapons and denuclearisation, although trade and other issues could also be discussed. “We would have it to talk about nuclear weapons and denuclearization,” Trump told reporters outside the White House. “If President Xi wants to have it, I’d have it.”
US President Donald Trump on Monday said he was open to holding trilateral talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping, while suggesting that Ukraine should have someone else negotiate on its behalf in the war with Russia.
The Wall Street Journal reported that Putin had proposed a trilateral summit with Trump and Xi during an October 9 phone call with the US president. The meeting could take place during the APEC summit in Shenzhen, China, scheduled for November 18 and 19, the report said.
“Zelenskyy doesn’t know what he’s talking about,” Trump said, responding to the Ukrainian president’s criticism of the US administration. Trump said he would be willing to participate if Xi supported the proposal, describing denuclearisation as a key objective. He also indicated that the leaders could discuss trade.
The meeting has not been formally confirmed.
The remarks came after the Kremlin said a possible trilateral meeting had been discussed and could take place on the sidelines of next month’s Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in China.