Russian President Vladimir Putin has proposed a trilateral summit with United States President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping next month to discuss a possible deal to end the four-year-old Ukraine war, the Wall Street Journal has reported.
The proposed meeting could provide an opportunity to negotiate a settlement favourable to Moscow, according to the newspaper, which cited people familiar with the discussions.
The report comes amid improving relations between Trump and Putin, following a deal announced by the US President to purchase Russian diesel and an executive order signed on Friday waiving key sanctions against Moscow.
The newspaper, citing a former Russian intelligence officer briefed on the matter, said Putin raised the summit proposal during a telephone conversation with Trump on October 9. The call also resulted in the diesel deal between the two countries.
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The Kremlin has reportedly suggested holding the trilateral talks on the sidelines of the upcoming Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit scheduled for November 18 and 19 in Shenzhen, China.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed to the Wall Street Journal that discussions were ongoing about a possible 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,” Peskov said.
However, a senior US official told the newspaper that Trump had not agreed to the proposed summit, although he could be receptive to the idea.
The White House did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment, while the Kremlin could not be reached outside regular business hours. The Russian and Chinese embassies in Washington also did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has criticised Trump’s diesel deal with Putin and the decision to waive key sanctions against Moscow, warning that the moves could embolden the Russian leader and prolong the war.
