Trump floats meeting with Putin and Xi as Ukraine warns against talks

“We would have it to talk about nuclear weapons and denuclearization,” Trump told reporters on Monday when asked about the possibility of such a meeting.

A meeting between the leaders of the world’s three largest nuclear powers to discuss disarmament would be “a very positive thing for the world,” Trump said, adding that he would be willing to pursue it at any time.

He said he would also raise other issues, like the war in Ukraine, during such talks.

A meeting with Putin and Xi could take place in November on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in the Chinese city of Shenzhen.

The Washington Post reported that Putin had proposed the idea.

China has not confirmed plans for such a meeting. Asked about Trump’s remarks, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said on Tuesday that she had no information to share at present.

Trump has been sharpening his rhetoric towards Ukraine, accusing the country of ingratitude and of failing to offer anything in return for US support as it continues to defend itself against Russia’s full-scale invasion launched in February 2022.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has in turn accused Trump of adopting a position favourable to the Kremlin and scaling back US defence and intelligence support for his country.

In his Monday remarks, Trump said Russia “has been fine on Ukraine” and “hasn’t been doing much.”

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha meanwhile warned that a trilateral meeting between Russia, China and the US without Ukraine’s participation would only “encourage” Moscow to continue its war, as Russia steps up round-the-clock attacks using jet-powered drones and Ukraine’s air defences grow increasingly depleted.

Putin did not deserve a seat at the negotiating table, Sybiha wrote on X on Monday.

“Inviting Putin to such a meeting would feed his appetite for self-aggrandizement and give him a stature he does not deserve. He is not a global leader; he is a war criminal,” he said.