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U.S. President Donald Trump said Monday that he would meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping to discuss ending the war in Ukraine, and that such a meeting could go ahead without Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, whom he again criticized sharply.
“Anything I can do to end the war, whether somebody’s there or not,” Trump told reporters as he left the White House for a campaign rally in Kansas.
The Wall Street Journal reported that Putin floated the idea of a three-way summit with Xi next month during an Oct. 9 phone call with Trump. According to the newspaper, the meeting could take place on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in the Chinese city of Shenzhen, scheduled for Nov. 18 and 19.
Trump signaled openness to the idea. “If President Xi wants to have it, I’d have it,” he said, adding that trade would likely come up as well.
He had first suggested he would be more interested in discussing “denuclearization” with the two leaders, and he downplayed Russia’s role in the war. “Russia, frankly, has been fine on Ukraine. They haven’t been doing much,” he said.
Trump also said Russia and China, both accused of supporting Iran in its ongoing military efforts against the United States, have done “very little” for Tehran.
Asked about Zelenskyy’s criticism of his recent decision to waive new sanctions against Russia, and the Ukrainian leader’s claim that Trump is on the wrong side of history, Trump again lashed out.
“Zelenskyy doesn’t know what he’s talking about,” he said, adding that Zelenskyy “should have had this war settled a long time ago.” Trump said it was “time for somebody else to negotiate on behalf of Ukraine,” echoing his earlier call for Kyiv to “get a new president.”
Tensions between the two leaders have risen steadily in recent weeks, while Russia, which invaded Ukraine in 2022, has received multiple breaks from Washington. Trump has also drawn criticism from members of both parties over a deal allowing Russia to supply diesel fuel on the global market despite existing sanctions. On Monday he said he is “not looking to break up negotiations” with Putin on deals involving Ukraine, Iran, diesel and the release of hostages.
Zelenskyy said the satellite services Starlink and Starshield, offered by Elon Musk’s SpaceX, have recently been degraded, and that U.S. intelligence sharing has also been disrupted, leaving Ukraine without advance warning of Russian strikes.
“No explanation for either of these issues has been provided to Ukraine by the American side,” Zelenskyy said after a call with bipartisan members of the House and Senate.
Trump said he does not know who ordered the interruption to Starlink service, “But I’d like to find out.”
Musk said last week that the U.S. government and Trump are “ultimately” responsible for any slowdowns. Secretary of State Marco Rubio denied that the United States caused the interruption, and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent warned Zelenskyy to be “very careful about making statements like this that aren’t true.”
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Zelenskyy also renewed his criticism of Trump’s decision to waive key provisions of a Russian sanctions bill, which was signed last month after passing Congress with broad bipartisan support.
He said he showed the lawmakers photos from the scene of a Russian attack in the Kharkiv region that killed six people, including a mother and her 1-year-old child. “This is how Russia responds to the lifting of sanctions and the easing of pressure,” he said.
Sens. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., and Thom Tillis, R-N.C., said in a joint statement after the call that funding Russia’s war machine, disabling Ukraine’s satellite communications and crippling its air defense are “all impediments to peace.” They added that trying to appease Putin “will only prolong this war and bring greater casualties.”
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