Trump Says He Would Meet Putin and Xi on Ukraine
President Trump said he would sit down with Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping to talk about ending the war in Ukraine, suggested Volodymyr Zelenskyy need not be there, and said "it's time for somebody else to negotiate on behalf of Ukraine." Zelenskyy told two U.S. senators that Ukraine's Starlink service and U.S. missile warnings are still degraded.
Asked about a possible summit, President Trump said he would meet Russia's Vladimir Putin and China's Xi Jinping to discuss ending the war in Ukraine, and suggested the meeting could happen without Ukraine's president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy. He told reporters at the White House, as he left for a rally in Kansas, that he would do anything he could to end the war, "whether somebody's there or not."
The Wall Street Journal has reported that Putin floated a three-way summit with Xi in an October 9 phone call, possibly at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Shenzhen, China, on November 18 and 19. "If President Xi wants to have it, I'd have it," Trump said. No meeting has been scheduled.
Trump also said, "I think it's time for somebody else to negotiate on behalf of Ukraine."
Earlier, on a call with Senators Thom Tillis, a Republican, and Richard Blumenthal, a Democrat, Zelenskyy said Ukraine's Starlink satellite service and U.S. intelligence warnings of Russian missile launches are still degraded. Trump said he didn't know who ordered the Starlink interruption, "But I'd like to find out." Secretary of State Marco Rubio has denied that the U.S. caused it.
Washington — President Trump said he would meet Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping to talk about ending the war in Ukraine, and suggested Ukraine's president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, need not be at the table.
"Anything I can do to end the war, whether somebody's there or not," Trump told reporters outside the White House as he left for a campaign rally near Wichita, Kansas. At first he said he would be more interested in discussing "denuclearization" with the two leaders, and added, "Russia, frankly, has been fine on Ukraine. They haven't been doing much."
A three-way summit floated by Moscow
The Wall Street Journal has reported that Putin proposed a summit with Xi during an October 9 phone call with Trump, and that it could take place at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Shenzhen, China, on November 18 and 19. "If President Xi wants to have it, I'd have it. I'm sure we'd talk about other things like trade too. But yeah, I would do that," Trump said. The White House has not announced any meeting.
Trump said he is "not looking to break up negotiations" with Putin on Ukraine, Iran, diesel and the release of hostages. Last week he put key parts of a new Russia sanctions law on hold, saying tougher measures would drive Moscow from the talks. The law passed Congress with broad support from both parties and was signed last month; the waiver remains in place.
Sharper words for Zelenskyy
Asked about Zelenskyy's charge that he is on the "wrong side of history," Trump said: "Zelenskyy doesn't know what he's talking about. Zelenskyy is a man that should have had this war settled a long time ago." He went on: "I think it's time for somebody else to negotiate on behalf of Ukraine." He said that "a million people" have died in the war. A July study by the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington estimated Ukraine's military deaths at 125,000 to 150,000 and Russia's at as many as 450,000.
Starlink and missile warnings
Earlier in the day, Zelenskyy spoke with Senators Thom Tillis, Republican of North Carolina, and Richard Blumenthal, Democrat of Connecticut. He said Ukraine's access to Starlink and Starshield, the satellite services run by Elon Musk's SpaceX, remains degraded, and that disruptions persist in U.S. intelligence that gives early warning of Russian ballistic missile launches. "No explanation for either of these issues has been provided to Ukraine by the American side," he said. He also told them he is willing to stop striking Russian energy sites, as Trump has proposed, if Putin does the same.
Trump said he does not know who ordered the Starlink interruption, "But I'd like to find out." Musk said last week that the U.S. government and Trump are "ultimately" responsible for any slowdowns; Rubio denied that the U.S. caused them.
"Funding Russia's war machine, disabling Ukraine's satellite communications, and crippling its air defense are all impediments to peace," Tillis and Blumenthal said in a joint statement.