Ukrainian Foreign Minister warns that a Trump-Putin-Xi summit could encourage Russia to continue the war in Ukraine

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha warns that a possible meeting between US President Donald Trump, Russian leader Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping could encourage Moscow to continue the war in Ukraine. By contrast, the official in Kyiv argues that a meeting between the leaders of Ukraine, the United States and Russia could help bring the conflict to an end more quickly.

Sybiha criticized the idea of a trilateral Russia-US-China summit, saying that Putin’s participation would bolster his image as a world leader and give him an importance he does not deserve. The minister called the Russian president a “war criminal” and said that Russia is a global problem, not a global power.

The Ukrainian official said that Putin should not be invited to negotiations without taking a concrete step toward peace. The condition cited is acceptance of a ceasefire before the meeting. He accused Russia of intensifying attacks against civilians and argued that sanctions are affecting the Russian economy, industry and technology.

The statements came after The Wall Street Journal reported that Putin had allegedly proposed a summit with Trump and Xi for next month, on the sidelines of the APEC meeting on November 18-19 in Shenzhen. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirmed that discussions about such a meeting had taken place.