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U.S. editionAsked on Monday (local time), Trump said he would attend a meeting with Putin and Xi; it would be mainly about nuclear weapons and nuclear disarmament (Zeit Online, Tagesspiegel). According to the Wall Street Journal, relayed by the Tagesspiegel, the idea comes from Putin and could be put into practice at the APEC summit on November 18 and 19 in Shenzhen. According to these reports, China has not confirmed the plans, and the US government has not officially done so either. Kremlin spokesman Peskov confirmed that such a meeting had been discussed. Zelensky demands a seat at the negotiating table, Foreign Minister Sybiha warns against encouraging Putin (Tagesspiegel). Spiegel and Tagesschau report that Zelensky accuses the US of blocking paid-for missile deliveries; Handelsblatt and Zeit Online report a meeting with Witkoff in Oslo.
A meeting without Ukraine would bypass Kyiv in negotiations over the war and emphasize the weight of the three nuclear powers. The APEC summit offers a setting in which Trump and Xi might come together anyway, which would ease planning. For Europe, much depends on whether an outcome emerges without Ukraine and without the EU.
For readers in Germany the question is a practical one: energy prices, defense spending and the debate over further arms deliveries depend on an agreement or its failure. The federal government will have to comment on a summit without Kyiv and Brussels.
Supporters see in a three-way meeting a chance to bring the nuclear powers to one table and talk about arms control, which is otherwise stalled. According to the reports, Trump himself links the meeting to nuclear disarmament, which shows a topic beyond Ukraine.
Zelensky and his foreign minister consider a meeting without Ukraine unacceptable and warn that it encourages Putin. The dispute over blocked, already paid-for missile deliveries strengthens the impression in Kyiv that Washington is putting pressure on Ukraine.
Confirmed is that Trump is open to a meeting and that the Kremlin has discussed such a meeting. Not confirmed are the place, the date and China’s participation. To watch today: a reaction from Beijing and the federal government, and further statements from Zelensky and Witkoff.
Zeit Online (Trump on three-way summit, Oct. 20, 2026) · Tagesschau (tensions Trump–Zelensky, Oct. 20, 2026) · Tagesspiegel (Zelensky’s demand, Oct. 20, 2026) · Spiegel (blocked missile deliveries, Oct. 20, 2026) · Handelsblatt (talks in Oslo, Oct. 20, 2026)
Trump open to a three-way meeting with Putin and Xi, Zelensky demands a seat at the negotiating table
According to reports, the idea comes from Putin and could take shape in November on the sidelines of the APEC summit in China; nothing has been agreed.
US President Donald Trump has signaled openness to a three-way meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese leader Xi Jinping. Asked by journalists on Monday (local time), he said he would attend such a meeting; the main topics would be nuclear weapons and nuclear disarmament, but also other issues such as Ukraine. Zeit Online and the Tagesspiegel report this. According to information from the Wall Street Journal, relayed by the Tagesspiegel, the idea comes from Putin: the Kremlin leader wants to meet the other two on the sidelines of the APEC summit, which takes place on November 18 and 19 in Shenzhen, China. According to these reports, China has not confirmed the plans, and the Trump administration has so far not officially confirmed them. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed that such a meeting had been discussed. According to the reports, nothing has yet been agreed.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky demands a seat at the table in talks on his country’s future; only then would such a meeting be acceptable, the Tagesspiegel writes. Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha accordingly warned that a three-way meeting would only encourage Putin to continue the war. At the same time, the tone between Washington and Kyiv is sharpening. According to Zeit Online, Trump said the US had given Ukraine a lot and received nothing back. According to Spiegel and Tagesschau, Zelensky accuses the US of blocking paid-for missile deliveries, and, according to Zeit Online, he spoke with Secretary of State Marco Rubio about the throttling of Starlink and about interceptor missiles. In Oslo, Zelensky met the US envoy Steve Witkoff, according to Handelsblatt and Zeit Online.