Xi dismisses Ukraine talks
German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier told German television that Chinese President Xi Jinping showed no interest in hosting a three-way summit on Ukraine with Russia and the U.S. after Steinmeier spoke with his Chinese counterpart in Beijing on October 30. From the perspective of Xi, no preparations are currently underway for any Chinese-hosted Ukraine talks. Xi expressed total surprise at the proposal, Steinmeier said, and argued that European officials should participate in resolving the war because the conflict occurs on the European continent. I find the Chinese leader’s dismissal telling because China provides a major economic lifeline for Russia and the leading source of dual-use goods for the Russian defense industry. While U.S. President Donald Trump, Russian President Vladimir Putin, and Xi may meet on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation meeting in Shenzhen in mid-November, these comments cast doubt on whether Ukraine would appear on the agenda. I think the exclusion of European officials from a continental conflict is a massive failure in diplomacy.
Putin’s goals and Kyiv’s reaction
Dmitry Peskov, a Kremlin spokesperson, confirmed on November 2 that preparations for a meeting between Putin and Xi at the APEC summit are currently underway, but he said no details exist regarding a possible three-way summit with Trump. This lack of clarity clashes with the reported motivations of the Russian leadership and the specific goals of the U.S. administration. The Wall Street Journal reported that Putin wants to use the meeting to secure a peace deal in Ukraine favorable to Moscow through warming U.S.-Russia ties. President Trump expressed readiness to meet his Russian and Chinese counterparts in November to discuss arms control and denuclearization specifically. I think the idea of a peace summit in China without Ukraine at the negotiating table is a disaster. Kyiv lambasted the idea of a peace summit in China without Ukraine at the table and urged a meeting between President Volodymyr Zelensky, Trump, and Putin instead to negotiate an end to the war immediately. I find the suggestion that China can mediate a war where it supplies the very goods fueling the Russian defense industry to be completely and utterly absurd.
