“Putin proposes to Trump a trilateral summit between the US, China and Russia next month”

Mention of ‘Ukraine talks’ at APEC during phone call on the 9th

“Putin seeks to solidify the status of a powerful nation through the ‘second Yalta summit’”

(Seoul = Yonhap News) Reporter Kang Hoon-sang = The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported on the 18th (local time) that Russian President Vladimir Putin proposed to U.S. President Donald Trump that a trilateral summit between the United States, China, and Russia be held next month to discuss the Ukraine issue.

Citing a former Russian intelligence agent who is familiar with the matter, the newspaper reported that President Putin proposed this idea during a phone call with President Trump on the 9th. The 9th was the day President Trump announced that he had spoken with President Putin and agreed to import Russian diesel.

According to people familiar with the discussion, President Putin proposed holding a three-party summit on the occasion of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit to be held in Shenzhen, China, on the 18th and 19th of next month.

People familiar with discussions between Russia and China said that Russian officials recently conveyed this plan to China through diplomatic channels, and that China indicated that it would not object if President Trump agreed, the WSJ reported.

Regarding the tripartite summit, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov responded to the WSJ in principle, saying, "All three leaders acknowledge the hypothetical possibility that such a meeting could be held, but nothing has been clearly decided yet about the meeting itself or the potential agenda."

A high-ranking U.S. official also said that President Trump has not agreed to a three-party summit, but that he may respond positively as ending the war in Ukraine was a campaign promise and he wants to fulfill it. The White House and the Chinese embassy in Washington did not respond to questions.

WSJ reported experts' opinions that if this three-party summit is successful, it will be an important achievement for Chinese President Xi Jinping, who is trying to emerge as a diplomatic mediation power.

However, China, which wants to use APEC as a stage to show off its role in the region, must take the risk that APEC will not receive attention through this three-party meeting. People familiar with the related discussions told WSJ, “Xi Jinping is trying to strike a delicate balance of maintaining economic relations with Europe while continuing to support Putin,” and added, “Trilateral talks could draw China more directly into the war in Ukraine and lead to a backlash from Europe, which is already wary of China’s pro-Russian tendencies.”

WSJ also added the interpretation that Russia views these three-party talks, which exclude Europe, as a means to solidify its position as a member of the world's great powers. A former Russian intelligence agent said that President Putin has grand but unrealistic ambitions to turn this meeting into a 'second Yalta conference.'

WSJ pointed out, “Even if there is a small possibility that Xi Jinping and Trump will agree to this proposal, the sight of the leaders of the United States, Russia, and China negotiating over the fate of one country will be a strong signal in itself,” and added, “Concerns in Taiwan may grow that their country’s future may one day become a bone of contention in a similar consultative body.”