US
Trump: Ukraine needs a different negotiator; ready for a summit with Putin and Xi in China
The U.S. president attacks Zelensky and says a possible three-way meeting would focus on nuclear weapons, while Kyiv warns that this emboldens Moscow.
By ANN Newsroom · Newsroom
October 20, 2026, 09:30 · Updated 12:21 · 1 min read
In brief
- Trump said Monday he thinks it is time for someone else to negotiate on Ukraine's behalf.
- He said he was ready for a summit with Putin and Xi Jinping focused on nuclear disarmament.
- The Kremlin mentions the APEC summit in Shenzhen on Nov. 18-19 but says there are no concrete proposals yet.
U.S. President Donald Trump sharpened his tone toward Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Monday, telling reporters that the Ukrainian leader does not know what he is talking about. He added that, in his view, the time has come for “someone else to negotiate on behalf of Ukraine.”
Trump spoke before leaving for a campaign event in Kansas ahead of the Nov. 3 midterm elections. He defended his recent diesel fuel deal with Vladimir Putin and his decision not to impose new sanctions on Moscow, two steps that have strained relations with Kyiv.
A possible three-way summit
The U.S. president said he is willing to meet with Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping in China next month if the Chinese side wants it. He said the talks would focus on nuclear weapons and disarmament, not primarily on Ukraine, although he promised to do everything he could to end the war.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the leaders could meet at the APEC summit in Shenzhen on Nov. 18-19 but stressed that no one has put forward substantive proposals on the format or agenda. The Chinese Foreign Ministry said it had no information about such a meeting, while U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio described a possible summit as positive for the world.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha warned that a meeting of Washington, Moscow and Beijing without Ukraine would encourage Putin to continue the war. Meanwhile, U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff is expected to hold talks in Oslo with Zelensky and European partners ahead of a planned visit to Russia.
