The President of Germany claims that Xi Jinping is not interested in a summit with Trump and Putin on the subject of Ukraine

German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier said that Chinese President Xi Jinping does not intend to include Ukraine on the agenda of a possible trilateral summit with the United States and Russia. The issue was discussed during the meeting between the two leaders, held Friday in Beijing.

According to Steinmeier, Xi Jinping told him that no preparations were underway for a meeting on Ukraine involving the United States, Russia and China. The Chinese leader reportedly emphasized that the war is a European conflict and that Europeans should be present at the negotiating table.

Steinmeier told German public broadcaster ARD that surprise was visible on Xi Jinping’s face when the possibility of such a summit was mentioned. The remarks come amid reports of a possible trilateral meeting on the sidelines of the APEC summit, scheduled for mid-November in Shenzhen.

Russian President Vladimir Putin proposed the meeting for discussions on nuclear disarmament. U.S. President Donald Trump said he was open to the initiative and stated that other issues could also be addressed, including the war in Ukraine.