Exclusive | Putin Floats a Summit With Trump and Xi to Discuss Ukraine Deal

Citing a former Russian intelligence officer, the Journal reported that Putin's suggestion came in an October 9 telephone call with Trump that also yielded the diesel deal between the two countries.[1]According to the WSJ, as reported by ETV Bharat, the Kremlin has suggested hosting trilateral talks alongside the upcoming APEC summit, scheduled for November 18 and 19 in Shenzhen[3]. ETV Bharat also reports that, according to sources, Chinese officials signalled they would not object as long as Trump agreed to participate.[3]A senior US official told the Journal that Trump had not agreed to such a summit, but he could be receptive to the idea.[1] Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters, according to Reuters as cited by CNBC, that "the president is open to anything that he can do to help bring a war to an end"[2].Military.com reports that Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said there were no specific agreements on a meeting or its agenda, also acknowledging that Ukraine would have to participate in a final settlement.[4]Military.com also reports that Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha argued that substituting China for Ukraine would encourage Putin to continue fighting.[4] In the same report, Zelensky is quoted as saying, "I believe steps have been taken to convince Ukraine to capitulate."[4]Trump wrote on Truth Social, as quoted by ETV Bharat, that he does not want to "drive, foolishly, Russia away from the bargaining table."[3]