Trump open to meeting Putin and Xi without Zelenskyy to discuss Ukraine war — calls on Kyiv to 'get a new negotiator' as tensions with Zelenskyy escalate

USA: President Donald Trump has said he would meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping to discuss ending the Ukraine war, potentially without Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy present, while intensifying his criticism of the Ukrainian leader and defending his recent decision to waive new sanctions against Russia, according to CNBC.

“Anything I can do to end the war, whether somebody’s there or not,” Trump told reporters as he departed the White House for a campaign rally in Kansas, when asked about a potential trilateral summit that Putin reportedly proposed in an Oct 9 phone call.

The Wall Street Journal reported that the meeting could take place at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Shenzhen, China, scheduled for Nov 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, as quoted by CNBC.

Trump turns on Zelenskyy

The remarks came amid steadily rising tensions between Trump and Zelenskyy in recent weeks, with Russia, which invaded Ukraine in 2022, having received multiple breaks from the US. Trump again suggested Ukraine should change its leadership at the negotiating table, responding in part to Zelenskyy’s recent claim that Trump is on the wrong side of history.

“Zelenskyy doesn’t know what he’s talking about. Zelenskyy is a man [who] should have had this war settled a long time ago,” Trump said. “I think it’s time for somebody else to negotiate on behalf of Ukraine,” echoing his prior call for Kyiv to “get a new president.”

Trump also said he would be more interested in discussing “denuclearisation” with Putin and Xi, adding: “Russia, frankly, has been fine on Ukraine. They haven’t been doing much.” He claimed Russia and China, both accused of supporting Iran in its ongoing military conflict with the US, had done “very little” for Tehran.

Starlink disruptions and sanctions waivers

Zelenskyy has said that Starlink and Starshield satellite services, which are critical communications infrastructure for Ukraine’s military, have recently been degraded, and that US intelligence sharing has also been disrupted, leaving Ukraine without advance warning of Russian strikes. “No explanation for either of these issues has been provided to Ukraine by the American side,” Zelenskyy said after a call with bipartisan US lawmakers.

Trump said he did not know who ordered the Starlink interruption, “but I’d like to find out.”

Elon Musk said last week that the US government and Trump are “ultimately” responsible for any slowdowns, while Secretary of State Marco Rubio denied US involvement and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent warned Zelenskyy to be “very careful about making statements like this that aren’t true.”

Zelenskyy also criticised Trump’s decision to waive key provisions of a new Russian sanctions bill passed last month with broad bipartisan support, showing lawmakers photos from a Russian attack on the Kharkiv region that killed six people, including a mother and her one-year-old child. “This is how Russia responds to the lifting of sanctions and the easing of pressure,” he said.

Senators Richard Blumenthal and Thom Tillis said in a joint statement after meeting Zelenskyy: “Funding Russia’s war machine, disabling Ukraine’s satellite communications, and crippling its air defence are all impediments to peace. Trying to appease a murderous thug like Vladimir Putin will only prolong this war and bring greater casualties.”

Trump pushed back, saying he is “not looking to break up negotiations” with Putin on deals pertaining to Ukraine, Iran, diesel, and the release of hostages — the latter a reference to a deal allowing Russia to supply diesel fuel on the global market despite existing sanctions, which had already drawn bipartisan criticism before Monday’s remarks.