Trump: "Someone Else Should Negotiate Instead of Zelensky"

"I Will Hold a Trilateral Meeting with Putin and Xi"

U.S. President Donald Trump suggested that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky could be excluded from peace negotiations with Russia.

He also said he was willing to take part in a trilateral meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping, but explained that the main focus of the meeting could be nuclear arms control rather than ending the war in Ukraine.

U.S. President Donald Trump. White House

Speaking to reporters at the White House on Oct. 19 (local time), President Trump said, "I think it may be time for Zelensky to put someone else forward to negotiate."

Trump made the remarks in response to President Zelensky's criticism of the U.S. easing sanctions on Russia and an agreement to supply Russian diesel to international markets. Zelensky had earlier criticized Trump, saying he was "on the wrong side of history."

Trump claimed, "Zelensky doesn't know what he's talking about," and added, "This war should have ended a long time ago."

Asked whether he would hold a trilateral meeting with President Putin and President Xi on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Shenzhen, China, in November, Trump replied, "I haven't agreed to it, but I would be willing to do so."

He added that even if President Zelensky did not attend the meeting, he would "do whatever I can to end the war."

Trump said, however, that the meeting would focus on nuclear disarmament, not the war in Ukraine. "I will go to China in November to discuss denuclearization," he said. "If we achieve denuclearization, it will be a great thing for the world."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.