DOMINANT ANGLE
Stockholm is particularly focused on the format of the meeting: a Putin-Trump-Xi summit negotiated without Zelensky, with a result that American sources say is tailored for Moscow.
Dominant angle identified — does not reflect unanimity of this country’s media
KEY POINTS
- 01
According to the Wall Street Journal as reported by Expressen, Putin proposed the three-way summit during a call with Trump, with Zelensky not invited.
- 02
Dmitry Peskov confirms discussions on a possible summit but says there is "not yet a clear vision" of its format.
- 03
Aftonbladet places the proposal in the October 9 call, which also resulted in an agreement on the release of hundreds of thousands of tonnes of diesel onto the market.
ANALYSIS
Stockholm, October 19, 2026. The Swedish press is reporting on information from the Wall Street Journal: Vladimir Putin has proposed a three-way summit with Xi Jinping and Donald Trump to negotiate an end to the war in Ukraine. According to Expressen, the offer was made during a phone call "almost two weeks ago," and the three leaders would meet next month.
The two daily newspapers emphasize the exclusion of Kiev. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky would not be invited to the discussions, according to sources from the American newspaper. Expressen reports that Putin's goal is to negotiate an end to this four-year conflict "in a way that would benefit Moscow," according to people familiar with the discussions. Aftonbladet uses the same phrase: it would be a matter of obtaining a settlement favorable to Russia.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitri Peskov confirms to the Wall Street Journal that discussions about a potential meeting are underway. However, he specifies that "there is not yet a clear vision" of the form of this meeting or the agenda, while acknowledging that the three parties admit that it could take place in theory.
Aftonbladet links the call to the energy dossier. According to the newspaper, the proposal would have been made during the call on October 9, the same one that led to an agreement to put hundreds of thousands of tons of diesel on American and international markets. The American president also decided earlier in the week to exempt Russia from sanctions on fuel exports. Putin would like, the newspaper writes, to seize this American opening to obtain a favorable outcome.
Expressen finally cites the Wall Street Journal, which says that such a summit "would be unprecedented and would set off alarm bells in European capitals and elsewhere." The Swedish articles remain factual and brief: they relay the American scoop and the Kremlin's confirmation, without reporting any reaction from Kiev, Stockholm, or Brussels, and without their own commentary on Sweden's position.
