A Trump-Putin-Xi meeting at APEC: the Telegraph compares it to the partition of Ukraine

The British newspaper The Telegraph has taken an extremely negative view of a possible meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump, Russian President Vladimir Putin, and Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the APEC summit in China, calling it a risk for the partition of Ukraine.

The piece by journalist Sarah Newey is headlined “The risk that what Xi permits advances the cause of dividing Ukraine.” The publication is particularly concerned about Beijing’s participation in the potential meeting.

“In Russia, some commentators are calling this a ‘new Yalta.’ Like the 1945 conference at which post-war Europe was divided, the leaders of three superpowers may sit down to discuss the fate of the continent. But this time it will not be Britain joining Russia and the United States — it will be China,” Newey writes.

According to analysts quoted by the journalist, participation in the meeting would allow China to demonstrate its superpower status and diplomatic weight, as well as present itself as a reliable global force. Chong Ja Ian, an associate professor at the National University of Singapore, believes: “If they can play the role of mediator in achieving a lasting and stable peace, it will help cement their position as a significant player on the international stage.”

William Yuen Yee, an expert at the Crisis Group think tank, holds a similar assessment of Beijing’s role.

“Beijing’s approach is to act as a mediator and focus on reaping symbolic diplomatic dividends and improving its image, rather than getting drawn into a complex dialogue that could go off script,” Yuen Yee believes.

Newey also notes that a dialogue between Xi, Putin, and Trump poses a problem for traditional U.S. allies — Britain, Europe, and Japan. Sergey Radchenko, a specialist in Chinese and Russian foreign policy at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies, stated that engagement between Moscow, Washington, and Beijing creates an opportunity to “decouple the United States from its European allies.”

Sharply negative assessments of the possible meeting have also appeared in many other European media outlets. Vladimir Zelensky had previously criticized it in advance. Meanwhile, Russian presidential aide Yuri Ushakov said that China is already engaged in preparations for the meeting.