End to war in Ukraine as leaders gather to negotiate

By Katie Dusza, Managing Editor

Russian President Vladimir Putin has proposed a meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping to negotiate an ending to the war between Russia and Ukraine. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is not going to be a part of these talks.

The Wall Street Journal reported the meeting being mentioned in a phone call to Trump.  On the topic of the meeting, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that, “There’s been talks of a meeting. I don’t know whether it’s been finalized, but the president has been clear. The president is open to anything that he can do to help bring a war to an end, if it’s possible, and we’ll continue to look for opportunities to do that.”

The call also talked about a deal for Moscow to sell diesel as the war has affected gas prices across the world. On Friday, Oct. 9, Trump announced that Russia will supply diesel fuel to the global market. Trump took credit for this move as midterms are coming up and gas prices continue to be a concern for voters. Trump claimed that this effort would swiftly bring down gas prices. However, this plan benefits Russia and defies recent efforts to pressure Moscow into ending the war, as well as the U.S.’s support for Ukraine throughout the war, which has hindered throughout the Trump presidency. 

Less than a year ago, the Trump administration put sanctions on multiple Russian oil companies in response to what the administration referred to as “Russia’s lack of serious commitment to a peace process to end the war in Ukraine.” 

Tensions have been growing between Ukraine and the U.S. On Oct. 18, Trump accused Ukrainian President Zelenskyy of not wanting peace in a post to Truth social. Meanwhile, Zelenskyy criticized Washington’s easing of sanctions on Russia and its likelihood to prolong the conflict between the two countries.