China Confirms Talks on Potential Trump-Putin-Xi Summit After Weeks of Silence

China said on Wednesday, Nov. 4, that it was in contact with the United States and Russia about a possible meeting between their leaders, marking Beijing’s first public acknowledgment of discussions about a potential three-way summit. “China is maintaining communication with relevant parties regarding a potential meeting among Chinese, Russian and US leaders,” Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said at a regular briefing in Beijing, according to Bloomberg.JOIN US ON TELEGRAMFollow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official. The meeting could take place on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Shenzhen on Nov. 18–19. However, Beijing has not confirmed that the summit will go ahead or that the three sides have agreed on its format or agenda. The statement comes after weeks of uncertainty over China’s position. When asked about the proposal on Oct. 19, Mao said Beijing had no information to share, despite reports that Putin had proposed the meeting to Trump. Moscow, meanwhile, had already acknowledged that the idea was under discussion. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed that a meeting had been mentioned, while Russian presidential aide Yuri Ushakov said on Oct. 25 that Moscow, Beijing and Washington were in principle ready to hold it and that preparations for the summit had begun. The potential meeting would come just days after a separate round of trilateral negotiations involving Ukraine, the US and Russia, scheduled for Nov. 10–11 in Abu Dhabi. Other Topics of Interest The Balkan Affair: Why Serbia and Bulgaria’s Elections Offer Little Comfort to Ukraine Serbia’s political upheaval offers no guarantee of a break with Moscow, while Bulgaria’s vote strengthens a government restricting military aid to Ukraine. US special envoy Steve Witkoff announced that Washington would mediate the working-level talks, which are expected to focus on post-war security arrangements, de-escalation, humanitarian efforts and further steps toward peace. Before the talks, US officials are also expected to meet representatives of France, Germany, the UK, the EU and NATO in Brussels to discuss security guarantees and Europe’s role in Ukraine’s post-war security. Ukraine warns against talks without Kyiv The prospect of a meeting between Trump, Putin and Xi has prompted strong objections from Kyiv, which has repeatedly insisted that Ukraine must be involved in any negotiations concerning its future. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said a meeting between the leaders of Ukraine, the US and Russia could help bring the war to an end, but a summit involving Russia, China and the US would have the opposite effect. “A trilateral meeting between the leaders of Ukraine, the US and Russia could help end the war faster. A trilateral meeting between the leaders of Russia, China and the US would have the opposite effect: It would encourage Putin to continue this war,” Sybiha said. “Russia is not a global power; it is a global problem,” he added. President Volodymyr Zelensky has also insisted that Ukraine must be represented in any negotiations concerning its sovereignty and future, rejecting the idea of decisions being made without Kyiv at the table. Europe says Ukraine must be at the table European leaders have also raised concerns about the prospect of decisions on the war being made by Washington, Moscow and Beijing without Ukraine or European governments. German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier said Chinese President Xi Jinping showed little interest in a three-way summit focused on Ukraine when the two met in Beijing in late October. In an interview with German broadcaster ARD, Steinmeier said Xi appeared surprised when he raised the possibility of a meeting involving the US, Russia and China to discuss the war. “From his perspective, there is absolutely no preparation under way for a Ukraine summit involving the US, Russia, and China,” Steinmeier said. Xi had also emphasized that the war was a European conflict and that Europeans would need to be involved in negotiations, Steinmeier said. Kyiv Post is Ukraine’s first and oldest English news organization, reporting since 1995. Its international reach – 90% of readers are outside of Ukraine – make it truly Ukraine’s global voice.