The Kremlin spokesman had announced earlier on Monday that holding a meeting between the presidents of the United States, Russia, and China during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in November "was discussed," but he ruled out reaching any final agreement regarding Ukraine without Kyiv's participation.
Trump told reporters when asked if he would participate in a meeting with Putin and Xi Jinping to discuss the Ukraine file, "I would do it, not so much for Ukraine, because Russia, frankly, has been good regarding Ukraine. It hasn't done much."
Trump said, "We will hold it (the meeting) to talk about nuclear weapons and nuclear disarmament."
When asked if he would discuss the Ukraine issue at any potential summit bringing him together with Xi Jinping and Putin, Trump replied that he would do "everything in his power to end the war."
However, Trump defended the diesel deal he recently struck with Putin and his decision not to impose new sanctions on Moscow, a move that caused a major rift in relations with Kyiv and prompted Zelenskyy to warn the US president that he is on the wrong side of history.
Trump said in response to Zelenskyy's comments when asked about them, "Zelenskyy doesn't know what he's talking about."
He added, "Frankly, I think it's time for someone else to take over the negotiations on behalf of Ukraine."
Russia has intensified its attacks on Ukraine in recent months, while Kyiv has accused Washington of withholding vital intelligence and slowing down a satellite system used to track incoming strikes.
Authorities said six people, including young children, were killed on Monday when a Russian drone targeted a park in the Kharkiv region in northeastern Ukraine.
- Kyiv insists on participating -
The Wall Street Journal reported that Russian President Vladimir Putin proposed to his US counterpart Donald Trump and Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping holding a meeting to discuss ways to end the war in Ukraine, on the sidelines of the APEC summit scheduled in Shenzhen on November 18 and 19.
In response to a question on this matter, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, "Given the possibility of the three presidents participating in the summit in China, the possibility of holding such a meeting has indeed been touched upon."
But he added that no agenda had been proposed, nor had any details about the meeting been discussed.
He considered that any final agreement to end the conflict in Ukraine "without the participation of representatives from Kyiv who are ready to assume their responsibilities is impossible."
However, Putin has repeatedly ruled out a meeting with Zelenskyy before reaching a final peace agreement, and he has also repeatedly questioned Zelenskyy's legitimacy to sign an agreement after his five-year presidential term ended under martial law.
On the other hand, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio appeared reserved when asked on Monday during a visit to Samarkand, Uzbekistan, about the possibility of holding such a meeting.
He said, "I don't know if it has been decided."
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said in Beijing that she "does not have any information at this stage" regarding such a meeting.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha expressed his dissatisfaction with the idea of holding a meeting without Kyiv's participation.
Sybiha considered that such a summit would only "encourage (Vladimir) Putin to continue this war," stressing that Russia "cannot win and does not want to end" the conflict.
He said via social media that Putin "is not a world leader, but a war criminal."
Sybiha, on the other hand, supported holding a meeting that brings together the Ukrainian, American, and Russian presidents.
Diplomatic efforts to end the conflict that has been ongoing in Ukraine since February 2022 remain at a standstill.
Donald Trump had held a phone call with his Russian counterpart in early October, before announcing that an agreement had been reached between Washington and Moscow to purchase Russian diesel, and then signing a decree exempting Russia from new US sanctions.
At the same time, Trump accused Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of "not wanting to end the war," amid renewed tension between Washington and Kyiv.
