Trump open to meeting Putin and Xi even without Zelensky. Kyiv, the EU and Poland push back

What Trump said

On 19 October US President Donald Trump suggested that a trilateral meeting with Vladimir Putin and Chinese leader Xi Jinping could take place without Ukraine’s president. As Ukrinform reported citing CNBC, he told reporters this before leaving Washington for a campaign rally in Kansas.

Asked whether he would meet Putin and Xi without Zelensky, Trump said he would do whatever he could to end the war regardless of who was present. If Xi wanted such a meeting, he said, he would agree, and the sides would probably also discuss trade. Trump also claimed that Russia had behaved reasonably towards Ukraine and once again lashed out at Zelensky, saying it was time for “somebody else” to negotiate on Ukraine’s behalf.

Where the summit idea came from

According to The Wall Street Journal, Putin proposed such a meeting during a phone call with Trump on 9 October. Media reports say it could take place in Shenzhen, China, during the APEC summit scheduled for 18–19 November. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, visiting Uzbekistan, confirmed that there had been conversations about a possible meeting of the US, Chinese and Russian leaders, but said he did not know whether it had been finalised. China’s foreign ministry said it had no information about such a summit.

Rubio added that the US sees “nothing good” in the war and fears it could spread to other countries — for example through drones that, when hit by electronic warfare, stray into a neighbouring state.

Sybiha: “He is not a world leader — he is a war criminal”

Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha wrote on X that a trilateral meeting of the leaders of Ukraine, the US and Russia could help end the war sooner, while a Russia–China–US format would only encourage Putin to continue it. An invitation, he said, would feed Putin’s thirst for self-aggrandisement and give him a status he does not deserve.

Sybiha noted that Russia’s economy is at least 13 times smaller than America’s and 8 times smaller than China’s. The only thing that could earn Putin a seat at such a table, he argued, would be a serious step towards peace, such as agreeing to a ceasefire before the meeting. “As long as he continues this terror, he has no place at any table,” the minister said.

The EU and Poland

European Commission chief spokesperson Paula Pinho said any solution for Ukraine must respect its territorial integrity. Foreign affairs spokesperson Christian Wigand added: “If Putin wants to end this war, he can simply stop it today.” He recalled that EU leaders had made clear that Europe will play a key role in any future settlement.

Poland’s Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz said he could not imagine any format other than one involving Ukraine and European states, and that it is hard to talk about final decisions without Ukraine at the table.

Why it matters

The idea of a summit without Kyiv has emerged as relations between Washington and Ukraine cool and as talks in Oslo are being prepared. For Ukraine, the key issue is that decisions about its security and territory are not taken without it. The coming weeks will show whether the trilateral summit remains just an idea or becomes a real plan for November.