The Kremlin confirmed Monday, Oct. 19, 2026, that a three-way Putin-Trump-Xi summit on the war in Ukraine has been discussed, in comments from spokesman Dmitry Peskov that Reuters had published by 8:44 a.m. ET, as republished by Dawn. Russia has floated holding the meeting in China next month, on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Shenzhen. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy would not be at the table.
The Wall Street Journal first reported the proposal. A senior U.S. official told the paper that President Donald Trump had not agreed but could be receptive. Later Monday, Trump told reporters at the White House that he would be willing to meet Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping, mainly to discuss nuclear weapons.
The proposal caps a week in which Washington eased pressure on Moscow and publicly clashed with Kyiv, while Russian strikes on Ukraine's power grid continued.
Key Facts
- When: The Kremlin confirmed discussions and Trump said he was open to a meeting on Monday, Oct. 19.
- Where: The meeting would happen on the sidelines of APEC in Shenzhen, China, on Nov. 18-19, according to Euronews.
- Who: Putin, Trump and Xi. Ukraine has not been invited.
- Kremlin position: The idea "was indeed raised," but there is no clear understanding of an agenda, Peskov said.
- Beijing position: Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said she had no information to provide.
- Kyiv position: Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said a three-way meeting without Ukraine would encourage Putin to keep fighting.
- Status: Developing. No summit has been formally announced by any of the three governments.
What Happened
The Journal reported that Putin raised the summit during a phone call with Trump earlier this month, citing people familiar with the discussions, Forbes reported. Forbes noted that the call came before Trump announced a deal allowing Russian diesel sales onto U.S. and world markets. A former Russian intelligence official told Kyiv Post the call took place on Oct. 9. Ecker Geopolitics previously covered the Trump-Putin Russian diesel deal.
On Monday, Peskov told reporters that the subject of a hypothetical meeting "was indeed raised," according to Reuters, as republished by The Moscow Times. He also played down how far the idea had gone.
"No specific proposals or agreements were discussed or put forward by anyone." — Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, Oct. 19, as quoted by Reuters
Peskov said Moscow values Washington's continued mediation. He added that a final settlement requires "someone in Kyiv who is prepared to take responsibility," Reuters reported via Dawn. Putin has repeatedly questioned Zelenskyy's authority to sign a deal, arguing his term has expired, which Kyiv rejects.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio, traveling in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, said there had "been talks of a meeting" but he did not know "whether it's been finalized," Forbes reported.
Trump went further. Speaking at the White House, according to Al Jazeera and Time, he said he would meet Putin and Xi, "not so much for Ukraine," and that "we would have it to talk about nuclear weapons and denuclearization," Kyiv Post reported. Asked whether Ukraine would come up, he said he would do "whatever I can do to end the war." He also said it is "time for somebody else to negotiate on behalf of Ukraine," according to Euronews.
In Beijing, Mao Ning told her regular briefing, "I do not yet have any information that I could provide," Kyiv Post reported, citing Ukrinform.
Timeline
| Date/Time (ET) | Event |
|---|---|
| Oct. 9 | Trump-Putin phone call; a former Russian intelligence official told Kyiv Post that Putin raised the summit then |
| Late Friday, Oct. 16 | Trump signs order suspending enforcement of Graham Act Russia sanctions |
| Weekend, Oct. 17-18 | Ukrainian drones hit oil infrastructure in St. Petersburg |
| Sun., Oct. 18 | Zelenskyy appears on NBC's "Meet the Press"; Trump attacks Zelenskyy on Truth Social |
| Mon., Oct. 19, by 8:44 a.m. | Reuters reports Peskov's confirmation that the summit idea was raised |
| Mon., Oct. 19 | Sybiha criticizes the plan on X; Mao Ning says Beijing has no information; Rubio says nothing is finalized |
| Mon., Oct. 19 | Russian drone strike on a park in Nova Vodolaha, Kharkiv region; Trump tells reporters he would meet Putin and Xi |
| Nov. 18-19 | APEC leaders' meetings in Shenzhen, China |
Who's Involved
Vladimir Putin, president of Russia, is the reported author of the proposal. He has ruled out meeting Zelenskyy until a final peace deal is ready, Euronews noted.
Donald Trump, president of the United States, says the meeting's focus would be arms control. On Sunday he wrote on Truth Social that Zelenskyy "doesn't want to end this war," Forbes reported.
Xi Jinping, president of China, would host APEC. His government has not publicly backed the format.
Andrii Sybiha, Ukraine's foreign minister, wrote on X that a Ukraine-U.S.-Russia meeting could end the war faster. A Russia-China-U.S. meeting "would encourage Putin to continue this war," he wrote, Kyiv Post reported.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy, president of Ukraine, told "Meet the Press" that a U.S. decision to back Putin would be a "historic mistake and a big tragedy," according to Just Security's digest.
The Ground Picture
Late on Oct. 16, Trump suspended enforcement of the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act. Axios reported bipartisan criticism, including from Republican Sens. Thom Tillis and John Cornyn. Our earlier report covers Trump's Graham Act sanctions waiver.
Energy is also part of the bargaining. The New York Times reported that envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner proposed that Europe resume buying more Russian gas, and that European officials recoiled, Just Security summarized. Earlier in October, Reuters reported that Kushner and Kremlin envoy Kirill Dmitriev had discussed bringing a U.S. investor into the Nord Stream pipelines.
Fighting has continued throughout. A broad Russian overnight assault cut power to more than half a million households and damaged more than 10 energy facilities, and Zelenskyy said partners gave Ukraine no advance warning, Reuters reported, per Just Security. Kyiv's drones hit St. Petersburg's oil infrastructure over the weekend, covered in Ukraine's strike on a St. Petersburg oil terminal. On Monday, a Russian drone hit a park in Nova Vodolaha in the Kharkiv region, killing six people, including two children, Zelenskyy said, according to ua.news. Kyiv Post reported the same toll.
Geopolitical Players
China: Beijing has said nothing in public beyond Mao Ning's "no information" reply. Analysis: hosting would cast Xi as co-arbiter of a European war while China's support for Russia remains under Western scrutiny.
Ukraine: Kyiv rejects any format that excludes it. Sybiha also wrote that "Russia is not a global power; it is a global problem," Kyiv Post reported.
Europe: Ecker Geopolitics found no formal European government statement on the summit idea as of Tuesday morning. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, whose government helps fund Ukraine's defense, told Bloomberg: "I try to convince Donald Trump every time I meet with him that this should be in his own best interest," ua.news reported.
What It Means for the United States
The following is Ecker Geopolitics analysis.
Benefits and opportunities
- Arms control: A three-way nuclear channel including China, which has resisted such talks, would be a real gain if it produced verifiable limits.
- More leverage: Being in the room keeps Washington central to any settlement, rather than leaving Moscow and Beijing to shape one alone.
- A path to ending the war: An end to the fighting could cut U.S. aid costs and ease fuel markets strained by the Iran war and refinery strikes.
Risks and dangers
- A boost for China: Talks on Chinese soil, with Xi as host, could raise Beijing's standing as a power broker while it presses Taiwan, as when Taiwan's coast guard drove off 16 Chinese ships.
- Strains with allies: Settling Ukraine's future without Ukraine could weaken trust among European allies now carrying most of Kyiv's costs.
- A weaker bargaining position: Peskov's call for "someone in Kyiv" willing to take responsibility suggests Moscow wants a leadership change before any deal. Trump's call for "somebody else" to negotiate for Ukraine could be read as accepting that demand.
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What's Next
APEC leaders meet in Shenzhen on Nov. 18-19. Watch whether Beijing agrees to host and whether Washington insists on a role for Kyiv.
Sooner, envoy Steve Witkoff is set to travel to Norway this week for talks that two sources expected Zelenskyy to attend, Reuters reported, per Al Jazeera. Congress returns after the Nov. 3 midterms, where a bipartisan effort to overturn Trump's Russian diesel deal, noted by Axios, could limit his room in Shenzhen.
For live breakdowns of the summit talks, watch Ecker Geopolitics, and cast your vote in today's poll: should Ukraine have a seat at any Trump-Putin-Xi meeting?
Sources
- Just Security: Early Edition, October 19, 2026, October 19, 2026
- The Moscow Times (Reuters): Putin, Trump and Xi Could Hold Trilateral Meeting on Ukraine War Next Month, Kremlin Says, October 19, 2026
- Dawn (Reuters): Kremlin says Putin, Trump and Xi could hold a three-way meeting in China next month, October 19, 2026
- Forbes: Putin Reportedly Wants A Summit With Trump And Xi On Ukraine—Without Zelenskyy, October 19, 2026
- Euronews: Trump says he is open to three-way summit with Putin and Xi in China, October 20, 2026
- Kyiv Post: Trump Ready for Putin-Xi Summit, Calls for Replacing Zelensky in Ukraine Peace Talks, October 19, 2026
- Kyiv Post: Chinese Foreign Ministry Unaware of Rumored Russo-Sino-American Trilateral Talks, October 19, 2026
- Kyiv Post: 'Russia Is a Global Problem, Not a Power': Sybiha Reacts to Trilateral Proposal Without Ukraine, October 19, 2026
- Al Jazeera: US-Ukraine relations sour as Trump, Zelenskyy clash over talks, arms, October 20, 2026
- Time: Trump Open to 'Denuclearization' Summit with Putin and Xi, October 20, 2026
- ua.news: Occupiers killed six people in the Kharkiv region, including two children — Zelenskyy, October 19, 2026
- Axios: Trump's Russia sanctions waiver draws bipartisan backlash, October 17, 2026
- The Star (Reuters): Exclusive-US, Russia explore gas sale to Europe amid Ukraine war, say sources, October 8, 2026
- ua.news: Merz said the U.S. is no longer involved in Ukraine's defense — Bloomberg, October 20, 2026
- ua.news: In Beijing, know nothing about trilateral summit between Trump, Xi, and Putin on Ukraine, October 19, 2026
- The White House (Flickr): Trump and Xi welcome ceremony, Beijing, P20260514DT-0920, May 15, 2026
- The White House (Flickr): Trump greets Xi in Busan, P20251029DT-2226, October 30, 2025
- The White House (Flickr): Trump and Putin in Anchorage, P20250815DT-0671-2, August 19, 2025