Zelenskyy Rejects Potential Trump Putin Xi Summit Excluding Ukraine
Kyiv insists any peace negotiations must include Ukrainian officials directly to prevent major world powers from dividing international spheres of influence.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy addressed reporters in Kyiv, warning against proposals for a summit between the leaders of the United States, Russia, and China. He cautioned that the meeting could attempt to decide Ukraine's fate without its participation.
Zelenskyy said Ukraine will only accept negotiations concerning its future if Ukrainian representatives sit directly at the table. He opposed any modern version of the 1945 Yalta Conference where powers divided spheres of influence. The world is too fragmented and technologically advanced for three nations to impose such an arrangement, he added.
Russian President Vladimir Putin proposed the trilateral meeting earlier in October. U.S. President Donald Trump indicated he was willing to meet Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping during a summit in November. Zelenskyy said Moscow sought the three-way meeting to secure a diplomatic advantage following earlier talks in Alaska.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha warned that excluding Ukraine would embolden Putin to prolong the war. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said preliminary discussions occurred without final arrangements. Chinese authorities stated they had no information regarding the organization of a tripartite summit.
As diplomatic proposals circulated, Russian forces launched missile strikes on Kyiv and other regions. The strikes hit transport logistics, the Southern Bridge, and a university campus. Zelenskyy stated Ukraine needs about 150 interceptor missiles each month, but receives only 12 Patriot missiles monthly from the United States.
In southern Ukraine, a localized humanitarian ceasefire began at 3:00 a.m. on Tuesday in Russian-occupied Oleshky. U.S. First Lady Melania Trump brokered the truce with involvement from Pope Leo. Human rights ombudsmen from Ukraine and Russia confirmed zero violations through the initial 30 hours.
David Arakhamia, the leader of Ukraine's ruling parliamentary faction, called the Oleshky pause the largest de-escalation since 2022. Russian forces occupied the town in 2022, leaving civilians isolated on the eastern bank of the Dnipro River. Melania Trump announced that officials widened the truce perimeter to allow humanitarian aid convoys into the area.
Technical teams from Ukraine, the United States, and Russia are scheduled to hold peace talks in Abu Dhabi in early November. The agenda focuses on halting strikes on energy infrastructure and maritime shipping, prisoner exchanges, and frameworks for leadership talks. Meanwhile, humanitarian workers plan to demine roads into Oleshky over several days to deliver relief supplies before the truce ends on Sunday.
