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

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, a meeting that would exclude Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, according to The Wall Street Journal. The proposal was made during a 9 October phone call between Putin and Trump, during which the two also agreed to increase Russian diesel exports to the US and international markets. Trump has since suspended sanctions against Russia, arguing that doing so keeps Moscow engaged in negotiations, while separately accusing Zelensky of not wanting to end the war. The proposed summit would reportedly take place on the sidelines of the APEC meeting in Shenzhen, China, in November, though Trump has not confirmed his acceptance. The exclusion of Zelensky could raise concerns in European capitals, and Trump has also criticized Ukrainian strikes on Russian energy facilities, claiming they hurt global diesel markets.