In brief

• German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier said Xi Jinping rejected a US-Russia-China summit focused on Ukraine.
• Xi reportedly called the war a European conflict and said Europeans must be part of any talks.
• A Trump-Putin-Xi meeting could still take place at the APEC forum in Shenzhen on November 18–19, but without Ukraine on the agenda.

Beijing declines Ukraine talks with Washington and Moscow

German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier told ARD that he raised the idea of a three-way summit with Xi Jinping during his visit to Beijing, which ended on Friday, October 30 (Сі Цзіньпін не хоче обговорювати війну в Україні з Трампом і Путіним, — президент Німеччини – Espreso) (Президент Германии: Си Цзиньпин не намерен обсуждать Украину с Трампом и Путиным – Charter 97). According to Steinmeier, Xi was surprised by the proposal and made clear that Beijing sees the war in Ukraine as a European conflict (Штайнмайер рассказал об удивлении Си на разговоры о потенциальном саммите с Трампом и Путиным по Украине – NV).

What Xi reportedly said

Steinmeier relayed that, in Xi's view, there is currently no preparation for a summit on Ukraine involving the United States, Russia and China (Сі Цзіньпін здивував Штайнмаєра позицією щодо України: що Китай сказав про переговори – TSN). Xi stressed that Europeans would also need to sit at any negotiating table on the issue.

A possible meeting at APEC

A separate track has been reported. The Wall Street Journal, citing informed sources, said Putin had proposed a meeting with Trump and Xi to discuss ending the war, and that the idea was linked to nuclear disarmament. Steinmeier suggested that the three leaders could still meet on the sidelines of the APEC forum in Shenzhen, scheduled for November 18–19, but that Ukraine would not be on that agenda.

Context for readers

The remarks come as Moscow has been seeking a wider format for talks, while Beijing has so far kept its distance from direct mediation on Ukraine. Steinmeier's account is the only source for Xi's position in the reports reviewed, and no Chinese official statement confirming it appeared in the material.