Putin discusses with Witkov a possible summit with Trump in China

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Russian President Vladimir Putin indicated during his meeting with the US President's special envoy, Steve Witkoff, that he intends to discuss some ideas and visions related to a possible meeting with President Donald Trump in China.

Putin addressed Witkov, saying: “These files (settlement of the crises in Ukraine and the Gulf region) and other topics can certainly be at the forefront of our exchange of opinions today, as well as the possible meeting in the People’s Republic of China (with Trump). There are also some ideas in this regard that I would like to share with you.”

At the same time, the Kremlin's official spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, indicated that there are many issues that could be discussed during a possible tripartite summit bringing together Russian President Vladimir Putin, US President Donald Trump, and Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Peskov explained during a statement he made to the Russian "Vesti" news program, that the United States seeks, through this tripartite summit with Russia and China, to discuss issues of strategic stability and nuclear disarmament, but China does not wish to do so.

“Besides this, there are many other issues for discussion,” Peskov concluded.

Putin had proposed holding a tripartite summit with US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping next month to discuss ending the war in Ukraine, in a move aimed at reaching a settlement that is in Moscow's interest.

According to an exclusive report published by the American newspaper "The Wall Street Journal" on Sunday, citing people familiar with the discussions, Putin raised the idea of ​​meeting with Trump and Xi to discuss the future of Ukraine, in an attempt to end the war that has been going on for nearly 4 years under conditions favorable to Russia.

The newspaper explained that the proposal comes within the framework of the Russian President’s efforts to benefit from the improvement in his relationship with Trump and push the negotiations towards results that serve Russian interests.

What is striking about the Russian proposal is that it does not include the participation of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, even though the upcoming meeting, if held, will discuss the future of his country and the conditions for ending the war.

The newspaper considered that holding a summit of this kind, without the presence of the Ukrainian president, would be an unusual precedent, and might raise widespread concern in European capitals and beyond.

She pointed out that the growing rapprochement between Trump and Putin has already raised concerns among Ukraine and its allies in Washington and Europe, especially about the possibility of reaching understandings that do not take into account Ukrainian demands.

The unveiling of the proposal comes after new statements by Trump in which he stressed that he does not want to take any steps that might push Russia away from the negotiating table regarding Ukraine.

The US President said, in a post on his “Truth Social” platform, that he is making great progress in peace efforts, stressing his desire to keep Moscow involved in the talks.