Russian President Vladimir Putin floated a trilateral meeting with himself, President Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping aimed at ending the war in Ukraine during a phone call with the U.S. leader this month, according to reports.
Mr. Putin reportedly suggested the meeting during an Oct. 9 call with Mr. Trump, the Wall Street Journal reported this week, citing an unnamed Russian intelligence officer.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters on Monday that “there’s been talk” of a meeting but did not confirm whether Mr. Trump had agreed to the summit, or if a date had been set.
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“I don’t know whether it’s been finalized, but the president has been clear,” Mr. Rubio said during a State Department visit to Uzbekistan. “The president is open to anything that he can do to help bring a war to an end, if it’s possible, and we’ll continue to look for opportunities to do that.”
News of a possible trilateral meeting to end Russia’s war without Ukraine at the table comes as the U.S. and Kyiv navigate an increasingly fraught diplomatic relationship.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has openly criticized Mr. Trump’s recent decisions to waive some sanctions on Russian oil sales and Washington’s new deal to purchase Russian diesel fuel.
Mr. Zelenskyy has also decried recent issues with the military-grade Starlink satellite internet service, the backbone of Ukraine’s drone warfare initiative, and has implied that the U.S. has stopped sharing intelligence with Kyiv.
In turn, Mr. Trump has accused Ukraine of driving up international oil prices with its attacks on Russian oil refineries. He has also said it was time for Ukraine to “get a new president” after Mr. Zelenskyy said the diesel deal was an unnecessary concession to Russia.
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