It would seem to be a foregone conclusion that when one is making some sort of a deal, one would want to have all parties with an interest in the deal at the table. Otherwise, it would seem to be much less of a "deal" than it is a meeting intended on "divvying up the spoils."
And yet, on Monday, we see a report claiming that Russia's president/dictator Vladimir Putin is proposing a meeting between President Trump and China's President Xi Jinping and, presumably, himself. The meeting is reportedly to negotiate an end to the Russo-Ukrainian War, and yet, Ukraine's President Zelensky doesn't seem to be on the guest list.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has proposed that he, President Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping meet next month to talk about Ukraine in an attempt to negotiate an end to the four-year conflict that would favor Moscow, said people familiar with the discussions.
The plan represents an effort by Putin to capitalize on warming ties between Trump and the Russian leader that have alarmed Ukraine and its allies in Washington and Europe.
Putin reportedly put the idea before President Trump in a phone call on October 9, reportedly the same call that preceded President Trump's lifting sanctions on Russian diesel exports until April. Now, a degree of skepticism is in order here; the report comes from an "unnamed Russian intelligence officer." But this wouldn't seem too far out of character for Putin, who we may recall is an old Soviet-era KGB apparatchik himself. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov reportedly confirmed there were ongoing discussions about a meeting but offered no details as to any proposed agenda. So, this is all rather up in the air at the moment, but if there is anything to it, it's an interesting development.
The real question here would be, if this report is accurate, what Putin is trying to do by involving China in these discussions, and by excluding Ukraine. Excluding Ukraine would necessarily mean that any such meeting would be tilted in Russia's favor, especially with Xi Jinping there to back Putin up. Could the proposed summit be intended to try to browbeat Ukraine's President Zelensky into concessions by waving a Sino-Russian alliance in his face? If that were the plan, it would seem that it would be better to have Zelensky in attendance. Or is it Putin's idea to pressure the European Union into downscaling military and civil aid to Ukraine?
In any case, President Trump would be well-advised to avoid any such meeting that Ukraine isn't a part of. If a long-term solution to the Russo-Ukrainian War is to be negotiated, then all parties, not just one, will have to be at the table. China has its own interests in this fight, particularly its economic and geopolitical relationship with Russia. It seems the only reason to have China involved is to back up Russia, and having Chairman Xi glowering at the American negotiators over Putin's shoulder would send an eyebrow-raising message.
As of this writing, there has been no comment on such a China-Russia-USA meeting from the Trump administration.
Editor's Note: This article was updated post-publication for clarity.
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