Russia is a global problem, not a global power, Ukraine's foreign minister says of proposed summit
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha has criticized a proposed summit between US President Donald Trump, Chinese leader Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin to discuss ending the war in Ukraine without Ukrainian participation, warning that such a meeting would encourage Moscow to continue its invasion.
"A trilateral meeting of the leaders of Ukraine, the United States, and Russia could help end the war sooner. A trilateral meeting of the leaders of Russia, China, and the United States would only achieve the opposite: encourage Putin to continue this war," Sybiha said on October 19.
The minister argued that inviting Putin to the summit would reinforce his sense of importance and grant him international standing he did not deserve.
"He is not a world leader but a war criminal. And Russia is not a global power but a global problem," Sybiha said.
He also pointed to Russia's smaller economy compared with those of the United States and China, the impact of Western sanctions and the heavy casualties suffered by Russian forces in Ukraine.
Sybiha said Putin should not be offered a seat at the negotiating table without taking meaningful steps toward peace, such as agreeing to a ceasefire.
"Instead, we see the opposite: escalating terror against civilians. As long as this terror continues, he should have no place at any table," the minister said.
The Wall Street Journal reported on October 18 that Putin had proposed meeting Trump and Xi during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in China in November to discuss ending the war on terms favorable to Moscow. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy would not be included in the proposed talks.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio subsequently acknowledged that a possible meeting had been discussed but said he did not know whether arrangements had been finalized.
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