Russian President Vladimir Putin has proposed a summit next month with US President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping to negotiate an end to the four-year-old war in Ukraine — a trilateral meeting on Moscow's terms that has alarmed Kyiv and European capitals.

The proposal was reported by the Wall Street Journal on Sunday, citing people familiar with the discussions and a former Russian intelligence officer briefed on the matter. According to the report, Mr. Putin floated the idea during an October 9 telephone call with Mr. Trump — a conversation that also produced a deal for the United States to buy Russian diesel fuel and facilitate its sale on world markets, followed by Mr. Trump's order waiving key sanctions on Moscow.

Shenzhen as the proposed venue

The Kremlin has suggested holding the dialogue on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit, set for November 18 and 19 in the Chinese tech hub of Shenzhen. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed that discussions were taking place over a potential meeting, telling the Journal: "There is no clear understanding yet regarding the meeting itself or its potential agenda, although all three parties acknowledge the hypothetical possibility of such a meeting taking place."

A senior US official said Mr. Trump had not agreed to such a summit but could be receptive to the idea. Mr. Trump himself said on Monday: "Anything I can do to end the war, whether somebody's there or not." Secretary of State Marco Rubio, speaking during a visit to Samarkand in Uzbekistan, also confirmed the idea was in play: "I think there's been talks of a meeting. I don't know everything's been finalized."

What Moscow wants — and what worries Kyiv

According to the Journal's reporting, the proposal is aimed at securing a settlement that would favour Moscow, and some briefed on the plan say Mr. Putin has even broader ambitions — a modern echo of the 1945 Yalta Summit, where Roosevelt, Stalin and Churchill carved Europe into spheres of influence. Experts quoted by the New York Post called that prospect unrealistic, but the symbolism of three great powers deciding Ukraine's fate without Ukraine has drawn criticism.

President Volodymyr Zelensky has warned that Mr. Trump's diesel deal and the sanctions waiver would embolden Mr. Putin and prolong the war. European governments, meanwhile, have watched the warming Trump-Putin ties with growing unease, and a summit that excludes Kyiv would be unprecedented.

The wider diplomatic track

The proposal comes amid intensified diplomacy: Mr. Zelensky held talks with US and European officials in Oslo earlier this week, and US envoy Steve Witkoff met Mr. Putin in St. Petersburg to present an updated peace proposal. The Kremlin has also signalled that US-mediated negotiations could resume as soon as next month. Mr. Trump promised during his campaign that he would end the war on "day one" of his term; he is now approaching two years in office with the conflict grinding on.