Summary
- President Vladimir Putin proposed a trilateral summit — a US-China-Russia leaders' meeting — to discuss ways to end the war in Ukraine.
- The report said the Trump administration reached an agreement with Russia on diesel exports and delayed new sanctions, while also agreeing to US purchases of Russian diesel and support for international sales of the fuel.
- A diplomatic backlash is likely if the leaders of the US, China and Russia discuss the end of the war and sanctions relief without Ukraine.
Forecast Trend Report by Period
Russian President Vladimir Putin has proposed a three-way summit with US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping to discuss ways to end the war in Ukraine, according to a report.
Bloomberg reported on October 18, citing The Wall Street Journal, that Putin made the proposal during a phone call with Trump on October 9. A former Russian intelligence official briefed on the matter said the call also produced an agreement on US purchases of Russian diesel and support for international sales of the fuel.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed that the possibility of a summit among the three leaders had been discussed. No final agreement has been reached on whether the meeting will take place or what its agenda would include, he added.
The US has not decided whether to take part. A senior US administration official said Trump had not agreed to the summit, though he may consider the proposal given his push to end the war in Ukraine. One of the venues suggested by Putin was the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Shenzhen, China, on November 18-19, according to the report.
The proposal came after the Trump administration reached an agreement with Russia on diesel exports and delayed new sanctions. Trump said the move was meant to keep Russia from walking away from peace talks. Still, Ukraine, European allies and US political circles have criticized the easing of sanctions on Russia.
A diplomatic backlash is likely if the leaders of the US, China and Russia discuss terms for ending the war and sanctions relief without Ukraine at the table. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, in an interview with Bloomberg on October 18, said Trump was pressuring Ukraine to surrender to Russia and objected to Washington's approach to the negotiations.
