Putin Reportedly Wants a Three-Way Summit With Trump and Xi. Take the Meeting Only With Ukraine in the Room
The WSJ reports Putin floated a Trump–Xi–Putin summit on Ukraine, possibly at APEC in Shenzhen, without Zelenskyy; the Kremlin says no meeting is agreed and Rubio says nothing is finalized. In our view, Trump should keep the door open — with Ukraine at the table, the bombing stopped and the Graham Act penalties ready to snap back.
By Clara Hughes
ALTAS WORLD NEWS OPINION | By Clara Hughes, Chief Opinion Editor | October 19, 2026 | 6-min read Vladimir Putin may want a summit. According to The Wall Street Journal, he floated a three-way meeting with President Trump and China's Xi Jinping to negotiate an end to the war in Ukraine, possibly at next month's Asia-Pacific summit in Shenzhen, and without Ukraine's president at the table [1][2]. President Trump is right to keep every door to peace open. But in our view, the door to this particular room should open only one way: with Ukraine inside it and American leverage fully loaded. Key Takeaways The WSJ reported that Putin proposed a summit with Trump and Xi on a Ukraine deal; CNBC reported the idea came up in an Oct. 9 call with Trump and would not include Volodymyr Zelenskyy [1][2]. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said there is "no clear understanding yet" about the meeting or its agenda; a senior U.S. official told the Journal Trump had not agreed but could be receptive [2]. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Oct. 19: "I think there's been talks of a meeting. I don't know anything's been finalized" [3]. The President's Oct. 16 order waived sanctions and duties under the new Graham Act, including a 500% duty on Russian goods,