The Ukrainian side has publicly outlined its position regarding a possible trilateral meeting between the leaders of the US, China and Russia, stating that a format without Ukraine's participation will not only fail to bring peace closer, but may also encourage the continuation of aggression. This was announced by Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha in a statement relayed to RBC-Ukraine.
Criticism of the format without Ukraine
Sybiha criticized the very idea of negotiations in the Trump — Xi Jinping — Putin format. According to him, a meeting of leaders without Ukraine is capable not of accelerating the end of the war, but, on the contrary, of giving Moscow a signal that aggression can be continued. The Foreign Minister stressed that inviting Putin to such a table "would feed his megalomania and give him weight he does not deserve," calling the Russian leader a "war criminal" and Russia a "global problem."
Kyiv's alternative format
As a working alternative, the minister proposed a meeting format involving the leaders of Ukraine, the US and Russia, which, in his assessment, could help end the conflict faster. At the same time, he emphasized that at the same table with the presidents of the US and China, by "pragmatic or moral standards," Putin has no place.
Economic arguments and losses
Justifying the position, Sybiha drew attention to Russia's economic situation and the losses of its army. According to his claims, the Russian economy is at least 13 times smaller than the American one and eight times smaller than the Chinese one, while continuing to shrink and the living standards of the population are deteriorating. The minister also stated that Russia has lost 1.6 million troops killed and wounded, and mentioned that under the pressure of international sanctions, Russian technologies, industry and business are in stagnation.
Conditions for Moscow's participation
Despite the harsh rhetoric, the Foreign Minister named the condition under which, according to him, Moscow could "earn a place" at the negotiating table: a serious step towards peace, for example, agreeing to a ceasefire even before the meeting itself. At the same time, he pointed out that so far Ukraine is observing the opposite trend — intensified strikes against the civilian population — and under such a scenario, in his words, "he should have no place at the table."
The Kremlin's position
Against the backdrop of these statements, the Kremlin had previously admitted the very possibility of a trilateral meeting between Putin, Trump and Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the APEC summit in China, as reported by the WSJ. Russian presidential press secretary Dmitry Peskov noted that all three parties acknowledge the hypothetical possibility of such a meeting, but there is no clear understanding yet regarding its holding and agenda.
