Symbolic imageChina confirms contacts with Moscow and Washington on a possible Trump-Xi-Putin summit
Beijing said on Wednesday that it is in communication with the parties about a meeting of the Chinese, Russian and US leaders. It would be the first such trilateral meeting.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning told a briefing on Wednesday, 4 November: "China is maintaining communication with relevant parties regarding a potential meeting among Chinese, Russian and US leaders." According to Meduza, it is the first time Beijing has confirmed such talks. The meeting could take place at the APEC summit in Shenzhen on 18-19 November. Bloomberg, as cited by Meduza, reads the statement, made two weeks before the expected meeting, as a sign that Beijing is prepared to hold it. The Kremlin had said on Tuesday that work was under way, while no leader has confirmed a date.
Who proposed it and what each side wants
Meduza, citing the Wall Street Journal, reports that Putin proposed the format to Trump in a phone call on 9 October, hoping to agree an end to the war on terms favourable to Russia. Trump has said publicly he is ready to meet but would mainly like to discuss nuclear disarmament rather than the war in Ukraine. The South China Morning Post cites observers who expect the powers' differing priorities to limit consensus and yield few, if any, concrete concessions, though a meeting could bolster Beijing's diplomatic standing.
Parallel Ukraine diplomacy
Le Monde reports that Zelensky, speaking from Madrid, said he spoke for an hour and a half with US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner. He said Ukraine, the US and Russia are preparing a trilateral format in Abu Dhabi on 10 and 11 November.