Trump Backs Putin-Xi Trilateral Meeting on Denuclearization

WASHINGTON — US President Donald Trump signalled on Monday that he is willing to sit down with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping for a three-way summit, a development that would put the leaders of the world's three biggest nuclear powers at the same table together.

Speaking to reporters at the White House before departing for Kansas, Trump said Putin and Xi "wanted to have" a trilateral meeting with him, and confirmed he would accept — though he made clear the agenda he had in mind was not Ukraine.

This is a new development in the summit story first reported on Sunday: GlobalDeskNews reported on Putin's proposal for a Trump-Xi summit on Ukraine, floated to Trump during an October 9 phone call. Trump's Monday remarks are his first on-the-record response to the idea.

What Trump said about a Trump Putin Xi trilateral meeting

"No, but I would do it," Trump said when asked whether he had agreed to a trilateral meeting. "Not so much for Ukraine, because Russia, frankly, has been fine on Ukraine," he added, in a remark that will raise eyebrows in Kyiv and across Europe.

Trump framed the summit primarily around global denuclearization. "We would have it to talk about nuclear weapons and denuclearization," he told reporters. "If President Xi wants to have it, I'd have it." He called a meeting on denuclearization "a very positive thing for the world."

"That's my suggestion, because I'm going to be over in China in November, on the denuclearisation," Trump said. "And if we can do denuclearisation, I will have done the world a big, big favour."

He also touted America's arsenal: "We have more nuclear weapons than anybody. Russia is second, China is third, but catching up."

On the question of whether he would meet Putin and Xi without Zelensky present, Trump was blunt: "Anything I can do to end the war, whether somebody's there or not, whatever I could do to end the war."

'Time for somebody else to negotiate' — Trump's swipe at Zelensky

The sharpest line of the day was aimed at Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, with whom Trump has been publicly feuding. "Maybe it's time for Zelensky to get somebody else to negotiate," Trump said. "It's time for somebody else to negotiate on behalf of Ukraine."

Responding to Zelensky's remark that the Trump administration was on "the wrong side of history," Trump said: "Zelensky doesn't know what he's talking about." He added that Ukraine "should have had this war settled a long time ago," claiming that "a million people" from Ukraine's side would still be alive had Zelensky listened to him earlier.

The remarks come as Trump's relations with Kyiv have visibly frayed — a contrast with Zelensky's trip to Oslo for Ukraine talks arranged by Norway and Finland, where European leaders are working to keep a diplomatic path open.

How Putin's proposal reached Trump

According to The Wall Street Journal, which first reported the proposal on Sunday, Putin floated the idea of a trilateral summit with Trump and Xi during an October 9 phone call with the US president. The report, citing a former Russian intelligence officer briefed on the matter, said Putin pitched the meeting as a way to discuss an end to the war in Ukraine — on terms that would favour Moscow.

The plan, the Journal reported, is part of a Russian effort to capitalise on warming ties between Putin and Trump. The same October 9 call reportedly also produced a deal for the US to purchase Russian diesel fuel and facilitate its sale on the global market — one of several recent breaks Moscow has received from Washington, including a waiver on some sanctions targeting Russian energy.

Trump on Monday did not confirm the details of that call, but he did confirm the meeting idea was on the table: "They do want to have a meeting," he said of Putin and Xi.

Why it matters

A trilateral summit of the US, Russian and Chinese leaders would be a genuine diplomatic earthquake. There have been no legally binding limits on the US and Russian arsenals of long-range nuclear weapons since the expiration of the New Start Treaty in February, and no substantive talks on a successor agreement — let alone one that includes China.

That vacuum has fed growing anxiety about a three-way nuclear competition between Washington, Beijing and Moscow. Trump has repeatedly pushed for a disarmament framework that includes China alongside the US and Russia, and the White House issued a statement after his September summit with Xi saying Trump had pushed for "trilateral arms control negotiations" — though China made no mention of the initiative in its own official readout.

Beijing has repeatedly refused to engage in arms-control talks in the past. And while China reportedly has not objected to the idea of a trilateral summit, it remains unclear whether Xi would agree to a meeting framed around Trump's denuclearization agenda rather than Ukraine or trade.

There is also the Ukraine question itself. Trump's "not so much for Ukraine" line will unsettle Kyiv, where officials have already accused Washington of pressuring Ukraine toward concessions. Any summit that discusses the four-year-old war without Ukraine at the table — as Trump's own framing suggests is possible — would break with the Western principle of "nothing about Ukraine without Ukraine."

What happens next

Trump suggested the meeting could happen on the sidelines of next month's Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in China, which he is scheduled to attend — his second visit to China in his second term. He said such a meeting would "likely be held in China."

But nothing has been formally arranged. The meeting "had not yet been formally arranged," Trump acknowledged, and the Kremlin has only said a possible trilateral meeting has been discussed. All eyes now turn to Beijing: whether Xi accepts, what agenda he insists on, and whether the meeting — if it happens at all — discusses nuclear weapons, Ukraine, trade, or all three.

Frequently Asked Questions

What did Trump say about meeting Putin and Xi?

Trump said on Monday he would be open to a trilateral meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping, primarily to discuss nuclear weapons and denuclearization. He said the meeting would be "a very positive thing for the world" and that it could be held in China.

Did Trump say Zelensky would be excluded from the meeting?

He did not say Zelensky would be formally excluded, but he was open to meeting Putin and Xi without him: "Anything I can do to end the war, whether somebody's there or not." He also said "maybe it's time for Zelensky to get somebody else to negotiate" on Ukraine's behalf.

Who proposed the trilateral summit?

The proposal originated with Vladimir Putin, who floated the idea during an October 9 phone call with Trump, according to The Wall Street Journal, which first reported it on Sunday. The Kremlin has confirmed a possible trilateral meeting has been discussed.

When and where could the meeting happen?

Trump suggested it could take place on the sidelines of next month's APEC summit in China, which he is scheduled to attend. He said the meeting would "likely be held in China," but stressed that nothing has been formally arranged.

Why is Trump framing it around denuclearization?

Trump has long pushed for a nuclear arms framework that includes China alongside the US and Russia. There have been no legally binding limits on US and Russian long-range nuclear arsenals since the New Start Treaty expired in February, and Beijing has repeatedly refused arms-control talks — making any three-way engagement on the issue significant.

How has Ukraine reacted?

Zelensky had already accused the Trump administration of being on "the wrong side of history," and Trump hit back on Monday, saying "Zelensky doesn't know what he's talking about." Kyiv has consistently rejected any settlement negotiated without Ukraine at the table.

What is China's position?

According to reports, China has not objected to the idea of a trilateral summit, but it is unclear whether Xi Jinping would agree to a meeting framed around Trump's denuclearization agenda. After their September summit, the White House mentioned Trump's push for trilateral arms control while China's official readout made no mention of it.

By GlobalDeskNews Staff