Putin proposes summit with Trump, Xi to discuss Ukraine deal at APEC

MOSCOW, Oct 19: Russian President Vladimir Putin has proposed a potential summit with US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping next month to discuss ending the four-year-old Ukraine war, with Moscow seeking a settlement favourable to its interests, the Wall Street Journal reported on Sunday.

The proposed meeting could take place on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Shenzhen, China, scheduled for November 18-19. Russia, China and the United States are all members of the regional economic forum.

The report comes amid warming ties between Trump and Putin, following a telephone conversation on October 9 during which the Russian leader reportedly suggested the trilateral summit. The call also resulted in a deal for the United States to purchase Russian diesel, while Trump signed an executive order on Friday waiving key sanctions on Moscow.

The developments have raised concerns in Kyiv and Europe that Washington could be moving closer to Moscow's position on the war.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed on Monday that the possibility of a meeting involving the three leaders had been discussed, although he stressed that no concrete proposals or agreements had been reached.

"Given that all three heads of state might potentially attend a summit in China, the topic of such a hypothetical meeting has indeed been mentioned," Peskov told the Wall Street Journal.

However, he added that "no substantive proposals or agreements, neither regarding the meeting itself nor its potential agenda and content, have been discussed or put forward by anyone".

A senior US official told the Journal that Trump had not agreed to the proposed summit but could be receptive to the idea. The White House did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment, while the Russian and Chinese embassies in Washington did not immediately reply to requests for comment.

The possibility of a trilateral meeting has emerged as Trump renews criticism of Ukrainian President VolodymyrZelensky over the conflict. Trump has accused Zelensky of not wanting to end the war, a claim the Ukrainian leader has firmly rejected.�" REUTERS