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 in November to negotiate an end to the war in Ukraine on terms favorable to Moscow, according to The Wall Street Journal. The proposal was made during an October 9 phone call with Trump, where a deal on US diesel purchases was also reached. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed talks are underway, though a US official said Trump has not yet agreed to the summit. The meeting could occur on the sidelines of the APEC summit in Shenzhen, China, on November 18-19. Moscow views this as a way to cement Russia's great-power status and exclude Europe from negotiations, while Beijing sees diplomatic benefits but also risks of deeper involvement in the conflict.