Putin, Trump and Xi Summit on Ukraine: Kremlin Admits Talks Took Place, But Says Nothing Concrete Was Proposed. Kyiv Warns It Would Embolden Putin

According to the Wall Street Journal, Vladimir Putin proposed to Donald Trump in a phone call on October 9 a summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping on ending the war in Ukraine, which could take place on the sidelines of the November APEC forum in Shenzhen, China, and without Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Respekt (WSJ) ↗ The Kremlin acknowledged that the topic came up, but claims that no one put forward anything concrete, Kyiv warns that such a meeting would only embolden Putin, and the White House has not yet confirmed anything. Two things matter to us: Europe would not be sitting at such a table, and Trump suspended on Friday the sanctions that were set to hit Russia starting Sunday.

What's new: not the idea, but the framework

The idea of a trilateral meeting between Putin, Trump and Xi Jinping at APEC is not new. Kremlin adviser Yuri Ushakov spoke about it on September 1 and admitted it was being considered, without details on whether anything was already being prepared. Kyiv Independent ↗ The day after Putin's phone call with Trump, on September 9, Peskov, asked whether the summit in Shenzhen had been discussed, replied that undoubtedly, and that such a possibility would exist. Russia had already indicated at the time that Putin would travel to APEC; the White House did not confirm this. The Korea Times (AFP) ↗

What's new is what the WSJ says. According to it, the proposal came up in the October 9 phone call, in which Trump and Putin also agreed on supplies of Russian oil to the American and world market. Russian officials presented the idea to Beijing through diplomatic channels, and the Chinese side indicated it would have no objections if Trump was not against it. Respekt (WSJ) ↗ According to the newspaper, the source is an unnamed former Russian intelligence service officer. CNBC ↗

Without Zelenskyy doesn't mean without Ukraine

Several Slovak and Czech headlines spoke of a summit without Ukraine. But the Kremlin says otherwise. Peskov said on Monday that no one has put forward or discussed any concrete proposals or agreements about the meeting itself, its agenda or content, and that a final settlement is not possible without someone from Kyiv who is ready to take responsibility. SITA ↗

This does not mean that Zelenskyy would be sitting at the table. According to Euronews, Putin has repeatedly refused a meeting with Zelenskyy on neutral ground and insists on talks in Moscow, which Kyiv rejects. Euronews ↗ Moscow also questions Zelenskyy's authority to sign an agreement, since his five-year term expired during wartime; Kyiv rejects this. SITA ↗ The question, therefore, is not whether Ukraine will be represented, but by whom and with what authority.

Who is saying what

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha wrote that a trilateral meeting of leaders of Ukraine, the USA and Russia could shorten the war, while a meeting of Russia, China and the USA would only embolden Putin to continue. According to him, Putin should agree to a ceasefire before any such meeting. Euronews ↗ A spokesman for the European Commission added that the war could end today if Putin stopped it, and reminded that Europe should have a key role in any future settlement. Euronews ↗

Marco Rubio, who was in Uzbekistan, said the meeting is being discussed, but he doesn't know if it has been agreed, and that Trump is open to anything that can end the war. CNN ↗ A senior American official told the WSJ that Trump has not agreed to the summit, but could be inclined toward it. Respekt (WSJ) ↗ China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, asked about it, replied that it had nothing to announce. CNN ↗

Background: suspended sanctions and a war that continues

On Friday, October 16, Trump signed a waiver suspending, 48 hours before they were to take effect, the sanctions and tariffs from the anti-Russian law that Congress passed in September. These concerned, for example, a 500-percent tariff on goods of Russian origin and 100-percent tariffs on the five largest buyers of Russian oil and gas. Rubio said Trump wants to keep up to 60 days to assess the impact of the sanctions and tariffs on the world economy. Kyiv Post (Reuters) ↗ Congress is in recess until the November 3 election, so a counter-proposal can only be submitted afterward. Kyiv Post (Reuters) ↗ Zelenskyy called the move a reward for Putin. RTÉ (AFP) ↗

Meanwhile, Trump wrote on Sunday, after a Ukrainian strike on an oil terminal in Saint Petersburg, that he doesn't want to do anything that would foolishly drive Russia away from the negotiating table, and that Zelenskyy, in his view, does not want to end the war and probably never did. Zelenskyy rejected this and said he spoke with Witkoff and Kushner on Sunday as part of ongoing contact about peace. CNN ↗ According to the Russian Ministry of Defense, air defense shot down 1,015 Ukrainian drones overnight on Sunday. CNN ↗ A Russian attack on Monday reportedly hit more than ten energy facilities, according to Zelenskyy, leaving at least 550,000 households without electricity. CNBC ↗ Zelenskyy also told NBC that the USA did not share intelligence on ballistic attacks with Kyiv for three days, and that they are now sharing it again. STVR ↗

Also read: Russia and Ukraine announced a pause in strikes on capital cities. It follows the path of Trump's envoys, not the front line

Limits of this view

The core of the report rests on a single source, an anonymous former Russian intelligence service officer cited by the WSJ. We don't know whether this is a leak or a message that Moscow released deliberately, and the Kremlin confirmed it only partially. We have not read the original WSJ text; we are relying on its summary in Respekt, CNBC and Euronews.

The figures on shot-down drones come from the Russian Ministry of Defense, and the data on struck energy facilities and interrupted intelligence sharing come from Zelenskyy, without independent confirmation. The suspension of sanctions is, according to the White House, temporary, and the president can revoke it at any time; the 60 days is Rubio's statement, not a legal deadline.

What hotinfo is monitoring

Illustrative photo: Putin and Trump at the Alaska summit in August 2025. Photo by Benjamin D. Applebaum, U.S. Air Force, Wikimedia Commons, public domain.