- Lead. Vladimir Putin has proposed a three-way meeting with Donald Trump and Xi Jinping at next month’s APEC summit in Shenzhen to negotiate terms for ending the Ukraine war.
- Fact. The format would exclude Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky — an arrangement European and Ukrainian officials say would allow major powers to settle the conflict over Kyiv’s head.
- Stake. The Kremlin says no agenda has been set and the US has not agreed, but the proposal crystallises a fundamental question about whether any peace deal can hold without Ukraine at the table.
The Wall Street Journal reported on Sunday, citing people familiar with the talks, that Putin raised the idea during an October 9 phone call with Trump — the same call that produced a US agreement to purchase Russian diesel. Putin wants the three leaders to convene on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit, scheduled for November 18–19 in Shenzhen, China, to discuss ending the war on terms Moscow would find acceptable.
What Moscow is proposing
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters there is “no clear understanding yet regarding the meeting itself or its potential agenda,” adding that all three parties acknowledge the “hypothetical possibility” of such a meeting. Russian officials have long framed any settlement as requiring binding limits on NATO’s eastward expansion and a long-term sphere of influence in Ukraine’s east — demands that Kyiv and most European governments regard as non-starters.
The proposal comes days after Trump signed an executive order waiving parts of the Graham Act, which had been designed to sanction buyers of Russian energy. That decision drew bipartisan criticism in Washington and prompted Zelensky to warn that it could embolden Moscow and extend the war.
The US position and Kyiv’s reaction
A senior US official told the Journal that Trump has not agreed to the summit, though he “could be receptive” given his stated goal of settling the war before year’s end. Chinese officials are reported to have indicated they would not object to the meeting if Trump participates.
Zelensky said on October 18 that Ukraine is preparing “for the next steps of diplomacy” and that “a lot depends on the US position.” He described his team’s communication with Washington as “virtually nonstop” and confirmed contacts with US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, according to Al Jazeera. He did not directly address the APEC proposal.
A format with historical precedents
European foreign ministers are expected to meet this week in part to coordinate a response to the proposal. The concern in Brussels and Kyiv is structural: allowing three nuclear-armed states to negotiate the fate of a fourth country’s territory would establish a precedent that undermines both Ukraine’s sovereignty and the post-1991 international order that guarantees it. Whether Trump sees that argument as a reason to decline or simply a constraint to manage will likely determine how the APEC summit takes shape.