--- title: "\"Putin has no place at the table\": Kyiv rejects the idea of Trump, Xi and Putin talks without Ukraine and proposes its own format" description: "Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha criticized the idea of a trilateral meeting between Putin, Trump and Xi Jinping without Ukraine and proposed an alternative negotiation format involving Ukraine, the US and Russia." date: 2026-10-19T10:48:55.146Z lang: en url: https://xab.info/en/posts/kyiv-rejects-trump-xi-putin-talks-without-ukraine tags: [ukraine, diplomacy, russia, us, china, peace-talks, apec] author: "Alexander Buran" publisher: "XAB.info" --- # "Putin has no place at the table": Kyiv rejects the idea of Trump, Xi and Putin talks without Ukraine and proposes its own format ![Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha speaking at a podium in front of the Ukrainian flag](https://xab.info/media/2026/10/19/kiev-otverg-peregovory-trampa-si-i-putina-bez-ukrainy/kiev-otverg-peregovory-trampa-si-i-putina-bez-ukrainy-1.webp) ## Key Points - Sybiha criticized the idea of a trilateral meeting between Trump, Xi Jinping and Putin without Ukraine's participation. - Kyiv proposed an alternative format: negotiations between the leaders of Ukraine, the US and Russia. - The minister stated that Russia has suffered 1.6 million casualties and that its economy is 13 times smaller than that of the US. - Moscow could "earn a place" at the table by agreeing to a ceasefire prior to the meeting. - The Kremlin had previously admitted the hypothetical possibility of a meeting on the sidelines of the APEC summit in China. 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. ## Fact-Check & Sources - ["Он не мировой лидер": Сибига раскритиковал идею встречи Путина с Трампом и Си Цзиньпином](https://www.rbc.ua/ukr/news/vin-svitoviy-lider-sibiga-rozkritikuvav-ideyu-1792406356.html) - Primary source of the Ukrainian Foreign Minister's statement; all quotes and figures (1.6 million losses, 13x/8x economy, ceasefire condition) are taken from this text. The context about the APEC meeting and Peskov's words are provided in the background as WSJ/Kremlin data. ## FAQ ### What negotiation format did Kyiv propose? Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha proposed a meeting format involving the leaders of Ukraine, the US and Russia as an alternative to a trilateral meeting without Ukraine. ### What condition did Sybiha name for Moscow's participation at the table? According to him, Russia could "earn a place" through a serious step towards peace, for example, by agreeing to a ceasefire even before the meeting itself. ### What is known about the possible meeting of Putin, Trump and Xi Jinping? According to the WSJ, the Kremlin admitted the hypothetical possibility of such a meeting on the sidelines of the APEC summit in China; Dmitry Peskov noted that there is no clear understanding of its holding and agenda yet.