Albanese Welcomes Planned Trump-Xi-Putin Summit as European Leaders Voice Reservations

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has welcomed a planned three-way summit between US President Donald Trump, Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin, saying that dialogue is a good thing. Speaking in Manila on Sunday, he said the talks are to take place in Shenzhen, China, at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) meeting, a forum of economies around the Pacific Rim. According to The Guardian, the summit was organised after a proposal Putin made last month.

Albanese was in the Philippines for a Quad leaders meeting, a gathering of leaders from Indo-Pacific partner countries, and for talks with Southeast Asian leaders at the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit. He said Trump would attend both ASEAN and APEC, and that a Quad leaders meeting would also take place.

Asked about a group photograph with Putin at the APEC meeting, Albanese did not rule out taking part. He said he would consider the wishes of China, which is hosting the meeting. On the war in Ukraine, he said the clear message to Putin was that the fighting should end, and that Australia opposes the invasion.

European leaders have been less settled. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz expressed hesitation about the talks at an EU leaders meeting on Friday, urging Washington to avoid surprises and to remain in step with Europe and Ukraine. French President Emmanuel Macron warned against forcing an unjust peace on Ukraine, describing that approach as the spirit of defeat.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the talks must not lead to a redistribution of influence or to the abandonment of Ukraine. He warned that the summit must not become "Yalta 2, 3, 4", a reference to the Yalta conference, the Second World War meeting of Allied leaders that shaped the postwar division of Europe.