Trump: Willing to hold US-China-Russia summit to focus on denuclearization issues

(Deutsche Welle Chinese website) US President Trump said on Monday (October 19) that he is willing to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin. Previously, the Wall Street Journal reported that Putin proposed holding three-party talks during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Shenzhen, China next month to discuss the situation in Ukraine. However, according to Trump, the issue he wants to talk about is nuclear weapons control.

"I can (hold trilateral talks). Not for Ukraine, because frankly speaking, Russia is doing okay on the Ukraine issue. They haven't done anything, and neither has China. We will want to talk about nuclear weapons and denuclearization."

Trump said that if Xi Jinping wanted to hold this meeting, he would be willing to arrange it. "I think we will also talk about other topics, such as trade."

Some media asked whether Ukraine was mentioned in the three-party talks. Trump said he would do his best to end the Russia-Ukraine war.

Relations between the United States and Ukraine have deteriorated recently. Ukrainian President Zelensky publicly questioned the United States for deliberately delaying the delivery of "Patriot" interceptor missiles and failing to share battlefield intelligence with Ukraine. At the same time, the United States and Russia are getting closer. Trump first reached a diesel agreement with Putin and last week announced the suspension of a new wave of sanctions against Russia. Critics said the move was a concession to Putin and a betrayal of Ukraine and its European allies. Zelensky said Trump was "on the wrong side of history."

On the 19th, Trump defended his decision-making and said that Zelensky "had no idea what he was talking about." "I actually think it's time for someone else to negotiate on behalf of Ukraine."

Faced with the possibility that the leaders of Russia, the United States and China would discuss a ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine without excluding Ukraine, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiga believed that this would only be counterproductive and encourage Putin to continue the war. He said Putin is a "war criminal" and "from any pragmatic or moral point of view, Putin should not sit at the same table as Trump and Xi Jinping."

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed that the three parties have indeed discussed whether to hold a meeting, but there is currently no substantive meeting proposal and a specific agenda has not yet been discussed. He also said that it would be impossible to reach a final armistice agreement without the participation of Uzbek representatives who are "ready to take responsibility."

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning was also asked about the possibility of trilateral talks. She only said that "there is currently no information to provide."

Potential tripartite summit has pros and cons for Beijing

Analysts who study China issues pointed out to the Wall Street Journal that if the trilateral dialogue is held in China, it will be a big step for Xi Jinping to enhance China’s status as a diplomatic mediating force. Sun Yun, director of the China Program at the Stimson Center, a Washington think tank, told the newspaper: "China wants to be seen as a hub between major powers and potentially become a mediator between the United States and Russia."

However, some analysts believe that the trilateral dialogue is not without its disadvantages for Beijing: if the trilateral dialogue is held during the APEC summit, China is also worried that the talks may dominate the spotlight and dilute Beijing's plan to use the summit to demonstrate its influence in the Asia-Pacific region. Analysts also say Xi is trying to maintain a careful balance between supporting Putin and maintaining relations with Europe. Such a tripartite meeting may also involve China more directly in the war in Ukraine and trigger a backlash from European countries.

The U.S. midterm elections are about to take a turn in relations with Moscow

The newspaper later reported that Putin proposed the idea during a phone conversation with Trump on October 9, citing a former Russian intelligence official with knowledge of the situation. The diesel deal between the two countries was also concluded during this call.

Trump announced on the same day that he had agreed to Russia's supply of Russian diesel to the United States and global markets in an effort to reduce global energy prices.

Analysts told Reuters that the U.S. midterm elections are approaching, and the American people are already under pressure from the rising cost of living caused by the U.S.-Israeli war and other factors. If sanctions against Russia take effect, it may further push up oil prices, which will adversely affect the Republican Party's midterm election.

Trump is unhappy with Zelensky

Last Sunday (October 18), Russia released news that St. Petersburg had been attacked by a large-scale Ukrainian drone. After the attack, Trump posted a message on the social media platform Truth Social criticizing Zelensky for targeting Russian diesel refineries. "He is well aware that these attacks have seriously damaged the global diesel market and have also affected the United States." Trump said that he "doesn't want to end this war at all, and he may not want to end it from the beginning."

Trump also explained the reasons for his decision to suspend sanctions on Russia, saying that he "did not want to take any action that might cause Russia to foolishly withdraw from the negotiating table."

The Wall Street Journal analyzed that Moscow believes that the potential trilateral dialogue between the United States, China and Russia will help consolidate Russia’s status as a member of the global club of great powers. This format for talks would also exclude Europe, which the Kremlin sees as the main obstacle to Russia's victory in Ukraine. The newspaper quoted a former Russian intelligence official as saying that Putin has grand but unrealistic visions for this tripartite talks mechanism, hoping to build it into a second "Yalta Conference."

Excluding Ukraine may send a signal for the Taiwan Strait issue

The Wall Street Journal further analyzed that if the leaders of the United States, China and Russia jointly discuss the Ukrainian issue, but Ukraine is not invited to participate in the talks, it will set an unprecedented precedent and arouse vigilance in Europe and other regions. For example, people may intensify the concern that Taiwan may one day be used for negotiations on similar occasions, especially under the background that China has not given up its military reunification.