The U.S. Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, addressed the criticism regarding the possible trilateral summit between President Donald Trump, Russian Vladímir Putin, and Chinese Xi Jinping this Tuesday, stating that "we need to mature" in foreign policy matters.
Rubio made the statements to the press from Bombay, India, where he was on an official trip.
"We need to mature a bit regarding foreign policy. Honestly, I don't think it's unusual for the leaders of the three most powerful nuclear powers on Earth to communicate with each other. I believe it makes perfect sense," he explained.
The head of U.S. diplomacy responded to the critical voices—particularly those from Ukraine—that believe negotiating with Putin amounts to making concessions.
"That's absurd. For example, how are you going to reach a peace agreement between Russia and Ukraine if you don't talk to them? You need to talk to them, right? That is the foundation of diplomacy and negotiations," Rubio emphasized.
The Secretary of State defended that Trump "does not consider talking to someone a concession" and described a potential conversation among the three leaders about arms control as "very positive for the world."
The proposed summit would be held on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum in the Chinese city of Shenzhen, scheduled for November 18 and 19. The idea emerged from a call between Trump and Putin on October 9, and Trump himself made it public one day before Rubio's statements.
The Kremlin confirmed that the matter was discussed in that conversation, although it denied that there is a finalized agreement. Meanwhile, the spokesperson for the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Mao Ning, stated on Tuesday that she did not have information regarding a potential trilateral summit.
Rubio acknowledged that he is unsure whether Beijing is willing to engage in that dialogue. “The only way to find out is to try. I know what they have historically said, but I don't understand why that would be surprising,” he remarked, referring to China’s traditional stance of conditioning its participation in arms control talks on first reaching parity with others in nuclear capability.
The strongest rejection came from Kiev. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrí Sibiga warned on Monday that "inviting Putin to such a meeting would feed his appetite for self-aggrandizement and grant him a status he does not deserve."
In parallel to the controversy surrounding the summit, Rubio held a 45-minute call on Tuesday with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to discuss tensions regarding the supply of missile interceptors, intelligence sharing, and access to Starlink. Rubio denied that Washington had issued directives to harm Ukraine and deemed the accusations that the U.S. would be withholding information that costs Ukrainian lives as "outrageous."
The geopolitical context adds urgency to the debate: the New START treaty, the last binding legal framework for strategic arms control between Washington and Moscow, expired in February 2026, leaving both powers without agreed limits on their nuclear arsenals.
"I believe the world is safer when the leaders of the countries with the most powerful nuclear arsenals at least communicate with each other," Rubio concluded.
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