China has offered to host a summit between Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump to help end the war in Ukraine, The Wall Street Journal reported, citing sources familiar with the situation.
According to the publication, Chinese officials have raised the issue of such a meeting with Trump's team through intermediaries in recent weeks. The aim is to facilitate peace talks after a possible ceasefire.
The Chinese Foreign Ministry has not yet officially commented on the proposal.
Trump said he had spoken separately with Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, with both expressing a desire for peace. As a result of these talks, Trump has ordered senior US officials to begin diplomatic efforts to end the conflict.
The Kremlin confirmed that Putin and Trump had agreed to meet, and that the Russian leader had invited the US president to Moscow. At the same time, Trump indicated that the first meeting between the two "probably" will take place in Saudi Arabia.
The war in Ukraine is entering its third year, with the last peace talks taking place in the early months of the conflict.
Former US President Joe Biden has supported Kiev with billions of dollars in military and economic aid and has had no direct contact with Putin since the war began.
Russia currently occupies about a fifth of Ukrainian territory and has set as conditions for a peace agreement that Kiev give up more territory and maintain permanent neutrality.
For its part, Ukraine has demanded that Russia withdraw from all occupied territories and has said it will only accept a peace agreement that includes NATO membership or equivalent security guarantees to prevent future Russian aggression.
The West has repeatedly called on China to use its close relationship with Russia to mediate an end to the war. Beijing, however, insists that it is not a party to the conflict but has consistently engaged in peace negotiations.
Last year, China, along with Brazil, proposed an international peace conference "at an appropriate time" in which Ukraine and Russia would participate on an equal footing.