Путін wants to gather Trump and Xi at the same table for talks on Ukraine, - WSJ
The Russian leader Володимир Путін proposed to hold a trilateral meeting next month with the President of США Дональдом Трампом and the head of Китаю Сі Цзіньпіном. One of the topics of negotiations should be the war against Ukraine, and Moscow, according to journalists, seeks to achieve its completion on its own terms
This writes The Wall Street Journal with reference to sources familiar with the course of discussions.
"Цей план є спробою Путіна скористатися потеплінням відносин з Трампом, що викликало занепокоєння в Україні та серед її союзників у Вашингтоні й Європі. Такий саміт — без участі президента України Володимира Зеленського — став би безпрецедентним і викликав би тривогу в європейських столицях та за їх межами", according to the report.
According to a former employee of the Russian special services, knowledgeable about the situation, Путін voiced the proposal during a telephone conversation with Trump 9 October. During this conversation, the parties also agreed to purchase США of Russian diesel fuel and promote its sale on the world market.
Речник Кремля Дмитро Peskov confirmed that the parties are discussing the possibility of holding a meeting.
"Поки що немає чіткого розуміння щодо самої зустрічі чи її можливого порядку денного, хоча всі три сторони визнають гіпотетичну можливість проведення такої зустрічі"," he said in a commentary on WSJ.
At the same time, a high-ranking representative of США told the publication that Trump has not yet agreed to hold the summit. However, the American president can be sympathetic to this proposal, as he seeks to fulfill the election promise to end the war.
According to WSJ sources, the Kremlin has offered to hold trilateral talks during the upcoming Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (АТЕС) summit scheduled for 18 to 19 November in Shenzhen, China.
As the newspaper notes, such a meeting in China could strengthen the role of Beijing as an influential diplomatic intermediary. According to sources, Russian officials conveyed this idea to the Chinese side through diplomatic channels. In response, Beijing made it clear that it would not object to Trump's participation.
The White House declined to comment on the information, and the Chinese embassy in Washington did not respond to a request from journalists.
Sources and photo
Photo source: Еспресо · Original photo
