Jens Asbjørn Bøgen
According to the Kremlin, Ukraine would not be invited to the trilateral summit.
Officials in Kyiv reacted with fury on Monday following revelations that Moscow is pushing for a three-way summit.
The Kremlin plan, reported by The Wall Street Journal, would bring together the United States, Russia, and China to end the war.
Noticeably absent from the proposed invite list is Ukraine itself.
In an interview with The Wall Street Journal, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is unlikely to get an invitation.
The opposite of bringing peace
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha warned in a statement on X that any deal struck behind closed doors would only reward aggression and embolden Moscow to keep attacking.
“A trilateral meeting between the leaders of Russia, China, and the U.S. would do only the opposite: encourage [Russian President Vladimir] Putin to continue this war,” Sybiha said.
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The Kremlin wants the summit held in Shenzhen during next month’s Asia-Pacific gathering. Spokesperson Dmitry Peskov confirmed talks are happening, telling The Wall Street Journal there “is no clear understanding yet regarding the meeting itself or its potential agenda.”
A shifting alliance
In Washington, Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirmed discussions, telling reporters that “there’s been talks of a meeting.” Rubio shared few details but stressed that Donald Trump wants the fighting finished.
The diplomatic push comes as ties between Kyiv and Washington crater. Trump has rapidly warmed to Moscow, delaying a major sanctions package, agreeing to buy Russian diesel, and halting key military shipments to Ukraine.
Frontline Ukrainian troops have also faced sudden limits on Starlink satellite networks. At the same time, shipments of already paid-for Patriot interceptor missiles have stalled, leaving cities vulnerable while Trump accuses Volodymyr Zelenskyy of resisting peace.
Sybiha made Ukraine’s anger clear. He insisted that “by any pragmatic or moral measure, Putin has no place at the table with presidents Trump and Xi.” Zelenskyy warned that siding with Moscow puts leaders on the “wrong side of history,” but added that both nations remain in “constant communication” over upcoming diplomacy.
