Key facts
- Ukraine criticized a proposed US-Russia-China summit to end the war.
- Kyiv stated the summit would embolden Russian President Vladimir Putin.
- Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha called Putin a "war criminal" unfit for such a meeting.
- Reports suggest Putin seeks a Moscow-favorable peace deal from the summit.
Ukraine on Thursday criticized proposals for a trilateral summit between the U.S., Russia and China to end the war, stating it would encourage Russian President Vladimir Putin to continue the conflict. Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha called Putin a "war criminal" unfit for such a meeting. The comments followed reports that Putin wants to use a potential summit with U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping to secure a peace deal favorable to Moscow. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov confirmed that discussions about the summit were taking place. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio also commented that there had been talks of a meeting.