Putin proposes trilateral summit with Trump and Xi on Ukraine in November

Russian President Vladimir Putin has proposed a trilateral meeting with US President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping in November to discuss Ukraine, aiming to negotiate an end to the conflict favorable to Moscow, according to the Wall Street Journal. The proposal, made during an October 9 phone call with Trump, seeks to leverage Putin's rapprochement with the US president. The same conversation reportedly included an agreement for the US to purchase Russian diesel fuel. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed discussions are underway, though no clear agenda exists yet. A senior US official said Trump has not yet approved the summit, though he may be open to it given his campaign promise to end the war. The Kremlin suggested holding the talks on the sidelines of the APEC summit in Shenzhen, China, on November 18-19. China has indicated it would not oppose the meeting if Trump agrees.