Preparations begin for Putin-Xi-Trump trilateral summit: Kremlin

Trilateral summit preparations

Kremlin foreign policy aide Yury Ushakov told Russian broadcaster VGTRK on Sunday that preparations for a trilateral summit involving Russian President Vladimir Putin, Chinese President Xi Jinping and US President Donald Trump have begun, with all three administrations declaring their readiness in principle to proceed. While no bilateral meeting between Putin and Trump has been finalized for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit scheduled for Nov. 18-19 in Shenzhen, China, Ushakov indicated that such an encounter remained possible given the trilateral planning. "I can say for certain now that Moscow, Beijing and Washington are in principle ready to hold it, and preparations have already begun," he said.

Ushakov added that should the three presidents find themselves at the same venue, diplomatic protocols would naturally facilitate communication even without a formal bilateral session. "If two presidents are in the same place, they will at least greet each other, talk while sitting at a table, talk during protocol events. Such large international summits open up great opportunities for communication," he said. Moscow is currently focused on the November APEC gathering in Shenzhen before considering the December G20 summit in Miami, with Ushakov noting that the sequence of events would naturally influence Russia's diplomatic calendar and any decisions regarding participation.

Ukraine talks timeline

Moscow is prepared to resume trilateral negotiations with Washington and Kyiv following Russia's National Unity Day on Nov. 4, Ushakov said, marking the next phase of diplomatic efforts to address the ongoing conflict. "Now the next deadline is Nov. 4, our big holiday. After that, we will be ready to resume negotiations," he said, cautioning that the initial expert-level meeting would likely prove exploratory rather than decisive. Ushakov noted that the Kremlin had hoped after previous talks that Washington could exert pressure on Ukraine to comply with potential agreements, but found the effect minimal in practice.

He emphasized that dialogue with European capitals remained necessary given their inclination to prolong the conflict, stating that engagement with Kyiv alone proved insufficient while the EU fully supported Ukraine's position. Ushakov characterized the Trump administration as recognizing that Russia could not be ignored despite the unfavorable political backdrop in Washington. "In the US, you know, the general political backdrop is extremely unfavorable to Russia. But there is the Trump administration, which is trying to take into account its national interests, which boil down to the fact that Russia cannot be ignored and it is better to interact with Russia," he said.

European negotiator proposal

Separately, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov addressed reports suggesting Finnish President Alexander Stubb could serve as Europe's negotiator with Russia on Ukraine, offering conditional support for the proposal. "If there is a negotiator, that is good. If it is a negotiator who sincerely strives to facilitate a peaceful settlement, that will be even better," Peskov said. The comments came as Moscow seeks to broaden diplomatic channels beyond bilateral US-Russia discussions to include European stakeholders in any prospective settlement framework, according to Russian state media.