Rule out truce talks with Ukraine! Putin invites Trump and Xi for talks WSJ: Taiwan may become a bargaining chip for major powers in the future

Chinese President Xi Jinping, Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Trump. (Composite photo from Associated Press and Reuters)

Russian President Vladimir Putin is rumored to have proposed holding three-way talks with U.S. President Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping to discuss a plan to end the Russia-Ukraine war. The Wall Street Journal reported on the 18th that this idea may allow Ukraine to have its fate discussed by the leaders of the United States, Russia, and China without participating in the negotiations, and also draw attention to the risk that Taiwan may be used by major powers in negotiations in the future.

The report quoted people familiar with the matter as saying that Putin proposed the idea during a conversation with Trump on the 9th. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed to the Wall Street Journal that the parties are discussing the possibility of holding a meeting, but there is currently no clear consensus on the meeting itself or its agenda. He said that all three parties recognized that such a meeting is theoretically feasible.

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A senior White House official said Trump has not agreed to hold a summit but may be open to the proposal given his desire to fulfill his campaign promise to end the Russia-Ukraine war. The White House declined to comment. The report pointed out that the Kremlin had proposed using the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Conference (APEC) to be held in Shenzhen, China, from November 18th to 19th to arrange this trilateral dialogue.

Putin hopes for a repeat of Yalta conference to divide power

The possible tripartite talks in China will also help Xi Jinping enhance China's role in international diplomacy. The report quoted people familiar with recent discussions between Moscow and Beijing as saying that Russia has proposed the concept to Beijing through diplomatic channels, and China has stated that it will not object to holding talks as long as Trump agrees.

A former Russian intelligence official told the Wall Street Journal that Putin has grand but possibly unrealistic ambitions for the trilateral talks, hoping to shape them into a "second Yalta summit" to divide global spheres of influence. The Yalta Conference was an important meeting at the end of World War II where leaders from the United States, Britain and the Soviet Union discussed post-war arrangements.

Even if Xi Jinping and Trump are unlikely to agree with Putin's vision, the image of the leaders of the United States, Russia, and China discussing the fate of a country has a strong political signal in itself. The Wall Street Journal pointed out that in Taipei, this may deepen the outside world's concerns that Taiwan's future fate may also be used as a bargaining chip in similar occasions, especially since Beijing has never given up the use of force to bring Taiwan under its control.

However, the three-party talks also have risks for Xi Jinping. The report quoted people familiar with the matter as saying that on the one hand, China hopes to maintain its support for Putin, and on the other hand, it also wants to preserve its economic relations with Europe. If the three-party talks involve China more directly in the Russia-Ukraine war, it may trigger a backlash from European countries that are already wary of relations between Beijing and Moscow.