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Russian President Vladimir Putin has proposed to U.S. President Donald Trump that they hold a trilateral summit next month involving the United States, China, and Russia to discuss the Ukraine issue, the Wall Street Journal reported.
Citing a former Russian intelligence officer familiar with the matter, the newspaper reported on the 18th local time that President Putin proposed the idea during a phone call with President Trump on the 9th.
The 9th was the day President Trump announced following a conversation with President Putin that they had agreed to import Russian diesel.
According to sources well-versed in the discussions, President Putin proposed holding the trilateral summit on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit scheduled to be held in Shenzhen, China, on October 18–19 next month.
Sources familiar with discussions between Russia and China told the newspaper that Russian officials recently conveyed this idea to the Chinese side through diplomatic channels, and that China indicated it would not oppose the plan if President Trump agrees.
Regarding the trilateral summit, Kremlin Spokesperson Dmitry Peskov gave a conventional response to the Wall Street Journal, stating, "All three leaders acknowledge the hypothetical possibility that such a meeting could take place, but nothing has been finalized yet regarding the meeting itself or its potential agenda."
A senior U.S. official also noted that President Trump has not agreed to the trilateral summit, but added that because ending the war in Ukraine was a presidential campaign promise and he wishes to fulfill it, he might respond positively.
The White House and the Chinese Embassy in Washington did not respond to inquiries.
The Wall Street Journal cited experts who noted that if the trilateral summit materializes, it would be a significant achievement for Chinese President Xi Jinping, who seeks to elevate China as a diplomatic mediator.
However, for China, which aims to use APEC as a stage to showcase its regional role, it would have to risk the summit overshadowing APEC.
Sources familiar with the discussions said, "Xi Jinping is trying to strike a delicate balance of maintaining economic relations with Europe while continuing his support for Putin," adding, "A trilateral meeting could draw China more directly into the Ukraine war and provoke a backlash from Europe, which is already wary of China's pro-Russia stance."
The Wall Street Journal pointed out, "Even if the likelihood of Xi Jinping and Trump agreeing to this proposal is low, the very image of the leaders of the United States, Russia, and China negotiating the fate of a country would send a powerful signal," adding, "In Taiwan, concerns could grow that its own future might one day become a subject of bargaining in a similar consultative body."
(Photo: AP, Yonhap News)
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