China has shown no interest in organising a trilateral summit with Russia and the United States to discuss the war in Ukraine, according to German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier. He said Beijing views the conflict as a European issue and, consequently, European countries should be directly involved in the negotiations.

Speaking during an interview with German public broadcaster ARD, Steinmeier explained that he raised the possibility of holding a summit focused on Ukraine with Chinese President Xi Jinping during their meeting in Beijing on Friday, 30 October.

Although the leaders of the three major powers—the United States, Russia and China—are expected to attend the upcoming Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Shenzhen, Xi’s response suggested that the Ukraine issue would not be included on the agenda of any potential trilateral meeting, according to Steinmeier.

“From his perspective, absolutely no preparations are under way for a summit on Ukraine involving the United States, Russia and China,” the German president said, adding: “He explicitly pointed out that this is a European conflict, in which Europeans should also have a seat at the negotiating table.”

Steinmeier also said that the Chinese president appeared taken aback when he raised the possibility of a summit specifically devoted to Ukraine.

“One could see the surprise on his face,” he remarked.

Plans for a meeting between Trump, Putin and Xi Jinping

The discussion took place amid reports about the possibility of Xi Jinping meeting Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump on the sidelines of the APEC summit, which is scheduled for mid-November.

Putin has proposed holding a trilateral meeting focused on nuclear disarmament. Trump, for his part, has expressed support for such an initiative, saying he would also be willing to discuss other issues, “such as Ukraine.”

On 25 October, Kremlin foreign policy adviser Yuri Ushakov said that preparations for the trilateral summit had already begun. Speaking to the Russian state television network Vesti, Ushakov claimed that Moscow, Beijing and Washington had reached an agreement in principle to hold the meeting.

According to the plan he outlined, the summit is to take place on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) leaders’ meeting, on 18 and 19 November, in Shenzhen, China.

Ushakov also referred to the possibility of a meeting between delegations from Russia, the United States and Ukraine during November, clarifying that such a meeting would be exploratory in nature, with the aim of clarifying the positions of the parties involved.

Concerns over the exclusion of Ukraine and Europe

The possibility of a meeting between Trump, Putin and Xi Jinping has raised questions about the role Ukraine and European countries would play in talks that could affect the future of the war in Eastern Europe.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy has repeatedly made clear that no decision concerning Ukraine can be taken without Kyiv’s participation.