Putin proposes trilateral summit with Trump and Xi on Ukraine, excluding Zelensky

According to a Wall Street Journal report, Russian President Vladimir Putin has proposed a trilateral summit with US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping to negotiate an end to the war in Ukraine, without Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's participation. The proposal was made during an October 9 phone call between Putin and Trump, during which they also agreed on Russian diesel supplies to US and international markets. The summit would reportedly take place on the sidelines of the APEC meeting in November in Shenzhen, China, though Trump has not confirmed acceptance. Trump has escalated criticism of Zelensky, claiming he does not want to end the war and defending his decision to suspend new sanctions against Russia to keep Moscow at the negotiating table. The US has faced criticism for easing restrictions on Russian fuel without securing concessions.