Trump to Meet Chinese President Xi in South Korea While Cancelling Putin Summit

U.S. President Donald Trump announced Wednesday his forthcoming diplomatic journey to Malaysia, South Korea, and Japan, emphasizing a crucial meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping during his South Korean visit.

Trump disclosed that he has cancelled his scheduled meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, stating that it "didn't feel right" and would potentially be a "wasted meeting" due to insufficient diplomatic progress.

"Next week, we'll be traveling to Malaysia, South Korea, and Japan. While in South Korea, I'm scheduled for an extended meeting with President Xi of China. This will give us an opportunity to address our questions, doubts, and mutual assets together," Trump explained. "As for President Putin, I've cancelled our meeting because it didn't seem we would reach the necessary understanding, so I decided against proceeding with it."

The cancellation of the Putin summit follows Russia's rejection of Trump's proposed ceasefire plan for Ukraine.

Trump remains optimistic about his upcoming dialogue with Xi Jinping, hoping to utilize their relationship to help end the Russia-Ukraine conflict. He intends to discuss energy and oil matters with Xi, with the goal of applying pressure on Russia to negotiate peace terms.

"I will likely bring up the topic. My primary focus will be discussing how we could end the war between Russia and Ukraine, whether through energy, oil, or other means. I believe President Xi will be receptive to these discussions. I think he would also prefer to see this conflict resolved," Trump remarked during a press interaction at the White House, where he hosted NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte.

The Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit is scheduled to take place in Gyeongju, South Korea from October 30 to November 1.

President Trump expressed confidence that the Chinese President could exert "significant influence" on Putin to move toward a ceasefire.

"I believe he can have considerable influence over Putin. He's capable of influencing many people. As a respected leader of a powerful nation, I think he can make a substantial impact," Trump added.

Trump claimed that his predecessors, former Presidents Joseph Biden and Barack Obama, had "forced" Russia and China into closer relations.

"China has a somewhat different relationship with Russia. Historically, it wasn't particularly strong, but Biden and Obama pushed them together—something that should never have happened. Naturally, they shouldn't be allies. I hope they maintain friendly relations, honestly. However, forcing China and Russia together was a mistake. Biden and Obama did that through their policies on energy and oil," he concluded.