Ukraine-Russia war latest: Trump and Putin say they could attend China peace summit without Zelensky
American and Russian officials say arrangements are being made for Ukraine peace talks in China next month involving Donald Trump, Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping, but without any Ukrainian representation.
Asked whether he would meet Putin and Xi without Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelensky, Trump said he would do “anything I can do to end the war, whether somebody is there or not”.
Secretary of state Marco Rubio confirmed there had been “talk of a meeting”, and Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said that while the prospect of such a meeting had been mentioned, “no substantive proposals or agreements” have been discussed.
Ukrainian foreign minister Andrii Sybiha criticised the idea of peace talks without Kyiv, saying it would only embolden Putin.
Trump was also asked about Zelensky saying the president was “on the wrong side of history” with the Russia diesel deal, to which he responded: “Zelensky doesn’t know what he’s talking about. Zelensky’s a man that should have this war settled a long time ago.
“To be honest, I think it’s time for someone else to negotiate on behalf of Ukraine.”
