Putin proposes trilateral summit with Trump and Xi on Ukraine

Russian President Vladimir Putin has proposed a trilateral summit with US President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping next month to negotiate an end to the war in Ukraine, excluding Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, according to the Wall Street Journal. Putin raised the idea during a phone call with Trump on October 9. The Kremlin confirmed ongoing discussions but said no agreement exists on the meeting or agenda. A US official stated Trump has not accepted the proposal but may consider it as part of efforts to end the conflict. Moscow suggested holding the meeting on the sidelines of the APEC summit in Shenzhen, China, on November 18-19. Beijing is open to the idea if Trump agrees. The format would reaffirm Russia's global power status and exclude Europe from negotiations, with Putin reportedly envisioning a new Yalta-style conference, though observers deem this unrealistic.