Trump Says He Is Ready to Meet Putin and Xi, but Wants to Discuss Nuclear Weapons, Not the War in Ukraine

U.S. President Donald Trump said on October 19 that he is open to a three-way meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese leader Xi Jinping, Reuters reported. He indicated the meeting could take place if Xi wants it, and that its main subject would be nuclear weapons rather than Russia's war against Ukraine.

"If President Xi wants to have it, I'd have it," Trump told reporters. He said the aim would be to talk about nuclear weapons and denuclearization.

Putin's proposed summit

On the same day, The Wall Street Journal, citing its sources, reported that Putin had proposed a three-way summit with Trump and Xi to discuss Ukraine. According to those sources, the Russian leader wants to negotiate an end to the war on terms favorable to Moscow, without Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky taking part. Beijing has reportedly signaled that it would not object if Trump agrees to the meeting.

Pressure on Ukraine

In recent weeks Trump has stepped up pressure on Ukraine, demanding that it stop striking Russian oil refineries, hold a presidential election and reach an agreement with Russia. He has also authorized imports of Russian diesel fuel into the United States and decided against imposing "sanctions from hell" on Russia.

It is not clear exactly why Trump chose to escalate tensions with Ukraine. He is thought to have agreed to the diesel deal with Putin to appease Americans unhappy with rising diesel prices, which were caused by the U.S. war with Iran, and to improve his approval ratings ahead of congressional elections. Trump himself maintains that he simply does not want to "push" Russia "away" from peace talks with Ukraine.