President Donald Trump said Monday that he would meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping to discuss how to end the Ukraine war, while ramping up his criticism of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Trump suggested that a meeting between the world leaders, which Putin reportedly proposed, could take place without Zelenskyy present.
“Anything I can do to end the war, whether somebody’s there or not,” Trump told reporters when asked about the potential meeting as he departed the White House for a campaign rally in Kansas.
The comments came as tensions between Trump and Zelenskyy have steadily risen in recent weeks, while Russia — which invaded Ukraine in 2022 — has received multiple breaks from the U.S.
Trump had initially suggested that he would be more interested in discussing “denuclearization” with Putin and Xi, saying, “Russia, frankly, has been fine on Ukraine. They haven’t been doing much.”
The Wall Street Journal had reported that Putin in an Oct. 9 phone call with Trump floated the idea of a trilateral summit with Xi next month.
That meeting could take place at the upcoming Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in the Chinese city of Shenzhen, which is set for Nov. 18 and Nov. 19, the Journal reported.
“If President Xi wants to have it, I’d have it. I’m sure we’d talk about other things like trade too. But yeah, I would do that,” Trump said in Monday’s remarks.
He also said that Russia and China, which have both been accused of supporting Iran in its ongoing military efforts against the U.S., have done “very little” for Tehran.
And when asked about Zelenskyy’s criticism of Trump’s recent decision to waive new sanctions against Russia — and his recent claim that Trump is on the wrong side of history — the U.S. president once again lashed out at the Ukrainian leader.
“Zelenskyy doesn’t know what he’s talking about,” Trump said. “Zelenskyy is a man that should have had this war settled a long time ago.”
“I think it’s time for somebody else to negotiate on behalf of Ukraine,” Trump added, echoing his prior call for Kyiv to “get a new president.”
Zelenskyy says that Starlink and Starshield, the critical satellite services offered by Elon Musk’s SpaceX, have recently been degraded, and that U.S. intelligence sharing has also been disrupted, leaving Ukraine without advance warning of Russian strikes.
“No explanation for either of these issues has been provided to Ukraine by the American side,” Zelenskyy said earlier Monday after a call with bipartisan U.S. lawmakers from the House and Senate.
Trump said outside the White House that he does not know who ordered the interruption to the Starlink service, “But I’d like to find out.”
Musk said last week that the U.S. government and Trump are “ultimately” responsible for any slowdowns. But Secretary of State Marco Rubio denied that the U.S. caused the interruption, and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent warned Zelenskyy to be “very careful about making statements like this that aren’t true.”
Zelenskyy also once again criticized Trump’s decision to waive key provisions of a new Russian sanctions bill, which was signed last month after passing Congress with broad bipartisan support.
He said he showed the lawmakers photos from the scene of a Russian attack in the Kharkiv region that killed six people, including a mother and her 1-year-old child.
“This is how Russia responds to the lifting of sanctions and the easing of pressure,” Zelenskyy said.
Sens. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., and Thom Tillis, R-N.C., said in a joint statement after the meeting, “Funding Russia’s war machine, disabling Ukraine’s satellite communications, and crippling its air defense are all impediments to peace.”
“Trying to appease a murderous thug like Vladimir Putin will only prolong this war and bring greater casualties,” the senators said.
Trump had already been criticized by members of both parties after announcing a deal allowing Russia to supply diesel fuel on the global market, despite existing sanctions.
But in Monday’s remarks, Trump pushed back, saying he is “not looking to break up negotiations” with Putin on deals pertaining to Ukraine, Iran, diesel and the release of hostages.