Donald Trump open for tripartite meeting with Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping on nuclear disarmament

Matryoshkas, traditional Russian wooden dolls, with pictures of US President Trump, Russian President Putin and China’s head of state Xi

US President Donald Trump has been open to a tripartite meeting with the heads of state of Russia and China, Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping. “We would do this to talk about nuclear weapons and nuclear disarmament,” Trump said on Monday (local time). A meeting of the three largest nuclear powers for nuclear disarmament is “a very good thing for the world” that he would tackle at any time. On such an occasion, he would also address other topics “such as Ukraine,” Trump said.

According to US media reports, a meeting with Putin and Xi could occur in November on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Community (Apec) summit in Shenzhen, China. According to the “Washington Post”, Putin is said to have brought up the idea. China did not confirm the plans for such a meeting. Asked about Trump’s statement, Foreign Office spokeswoman Mao Ning said in Beijing that she currently has no information to share.

Meanwhile, Trump is tightening his tone towards Ukraine. He accuses the country, which has resisted an invasion of Russia since February 2022, among other things, lack of gratitude and lack of compensation for the support of the United States. Speaking to journalists on Monday, he said he felt that someone other than the Ukrainian prime minister should negotiate for the country. “Perhaps it’s time for Zelensky to hire someone else to negotiate,” Trump said.

Zelensky, for his part, accuses Trump of gradually reducing support for the country.

A trilateral meeting between Russia, China and the US would only encourage Moscow to continue its war, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha warned. Putin does not deserve the place at the negotiating table, he wrote on Monday on Platform X. “The only thing that could give him this place would be a serious step towards peace – for example, the adoption of a ceasefire proposal before such a meeting.”

The US president wants to make Ukraine pay for his messed up Iran war. But Europeans have levers that they should finally use.