Putin Floats Trilateral Summit With Trump and Xi; Ukraine and Europe Not Included
Photo: AxiosRussian President Vladimir Putin has proposed a three-way summit with U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping, according to the Wall Street Journal, which cited a former Russian intelligence officer briefed on the matter. Putin raised the idea in a phone call with Trump earlier this month. Kremlin spokesman Dmitri Peskov confirmed the pitch and said all three parties were open to it, though he said there is no clear understanding yet of the meeting or its agenda. Axios reported that Trump wants a summit in China next month to discuss "denuclearization," but not necessarily Ukraine. The meeting would not include Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky or Ukraine's European allies, a prospect that has alarmed Kyiv and European capitals. Such a summit would be unprecedented.
The Guardian's editorial, from the left, treats the proposal as a threat to Ukraine's right to decide its own future. It argues that Putin knows how to play Trump and that Europe must push back. Axios, the alternative source, leads with Trump's stated interest in a summit on denuclearization and its unprecedented nature. The right-leaning Washington Examiner centers on what Xi's inclusion shows about Beijing's influence in the war, and quotes Peskov. All three note that Ukraine would not be at the table.
How the sides differ Left sources frame the idea as a betrayal of Ukraine's right to decide; alternative sources stress denuclearization; right sources stress China's role in the war.
Headline, comparison and summary written by AI from the articles below. AI can make mistakes, so check the original articles before relying on a detail.
Not covering this story. None of the left-leaning outlets Crosswire tracks has reported it yet. What one side leaves out can be as telling as what the others report.
Axios leads with Trump's openness to a summit in China next month on denuclearization, not necessarily Ukraine, and notes that such a meeting would be unprecedented.
The Washington Examiner reports Putin's proposal through the Wall Street Journal and Kremlin spokesman Peskov, emphasizing China's visible role in the war despite its official neutrality.