Vladimir Putin may have hoped to bring Donald Trump and Xi Jinping together for a high-level discussion about Ukraine, but China has delivered a diplomatic reality check that complicates the Kremlin’s plans. Beijing is showing little interest in turning a proposed three-way meeting into a summit about ending Russia’s war, with Chinese President Xi Jinping reportedly making clear that Europe must be involved in any negotiations over a conflict unfolding on its own continent.

The message is significant for both Moscow and Washington. Putin has been pushing for a meeting with Trump and Xi, while the US president has expressed openness to discussing a range of issues with the two leaders. But the possibility of Ukraine being discussed without Kyiv or its European partners has raised serious concerns, particularly as the future of the country remains at the center of the war.

Now, comments from German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier suggest that Beijing is not prepared to follow that proposed diplomatic route, at least when it comes to Ukraine.

Xi Delivers a Blunt Message About Europe’s Place at the Table

Steinmeier revealed that he raised the possibility of a Ukraine-focused summit during his meeting with Xi in Beijing on October 30. According to the German president, the Chinese leader showed no enthusiasm for the idea and appeared surprised, maybe offended that such a meeting had been suggested.

“From his perspective, there is absolutely no preparation under way for a Ukraine summit involving the US, Russia, and China,” Steinmeier said.

He added that Xi had made his position clear, explaining: “He explicitly pointed out that this is a European conflict in which Europeans would also have to be at the negotiating table.”

That is a significant message, particularly given Moscow’s interest in a format that would bring the leaders of Russia, the United States and China together. Such a gathering could give Putin an opportunity to discuss the war directly with Trump and Xi, potentially allowing the Kremlin to pursue its preferred diplomatic arrangements without Ukraine and European governments having a direct role.

But Xi’s reported response suggests that Beijing does not intend to treat the proposed meeting as an opportunity to negotiate Ukraine’s future behind Europe’s back.

Putin’s Summit Ambitions Face a New Obstacle

The idea of a trilateral meeting gained attention after Kremlin foreign policy aide Yuri Ushakov announced that preparations had begun for a possible gathering involving Putin, Trump and Xi on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Shenzhen on November 18 and 19.

Moscow had indicated that the three countries were prepared in principle to hold such a meeting. Putin had proposed discussing nuclear disarmament, while Trump said he was open to meeting the two leaders and discussing other matters, including Ukraine.

However, Steinmeier’s account introduces an important distinction: although the leaders may still meet at APEC, there is no indication that Xi intends to make the war in Ukraine part of a three-way negotiating agenda.

For Putin, that complicates the prospect of using the gathering to advance a settlement on terms favorable to Moscow. For Trump, it also means that any expectation of bringing the Russian and Chinese leaders together to discuss Ukraine may be more difficult to realize than initially suggested.

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Ukraine Cannot Be Left Out of Its Own Future

There is another important voice in this debate: Volodymyr Zelenskyy. The Ukrainian president has repeatedly insisted that no agreement concerning his country’s sovereignty, territory or future can be reached without Ukraine’s participation.

He has made clear that discussions involving Washington, Moscow and Beijing are one thing, but negotiations about Ukraine must include Kyiv itself.

That position has also been echoed by European leaders, who fear that a great-power arrangement could leave the countries most directly affected by the war with little influence over the outcome.

China’s position, as described by Steinmeier, does not necessarily mean Beijing is rejecting all contact with Washington or Moscow. Nor does it establish that Xi is taking Ukraine’s side. But it does suggest that China is unwilling to present a proposed meeting between three major powers as a substitute for broader negotiations involving Europe.

For Putin and Trump, the message is a reminder that a meeting between powerful leaders does not automatically give them the authority to determine Ukraine’s future. And for Kyiv, Xi’s reported comments offer an important diplomatic signal that Europe cannot simply be treated as an afterthought in discussions about a war taking place on its doorstep.