The presidents of the United States, Russia and China – Donald Trump, Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping – will hold a trilateral meeting in Shenzhen on Thursday, November 19. The talks will take place on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit, which will be held on November 18 and 19.
The plans for the meeting have been confirmed by the White House, the Associated Press reported. This will be the first gathering in such a format of the leaders of the United States, Russia and China – the three countries with the largest nuclear arsenals in the world.
Kremlin announces preparations
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said earlier that work was underway to organize the meeting. On November 3, he said that the countries were exchanging signals of readiness and that the possible agenda was being discussed through diplomatic channels.
“There has been a certain exchange of signals confirming readiness for such a meeting. There has also been an exchange of views through diplomatic channels on what could be included in the agenda,” Peskov said, as quoted by TASS. He stressed that China had a leading role in the preparations because it is hosting the forum.
Earlier, the Russian side had spoken of a possible meeting without there being any final confirmation. The White House announcement represents a change from this more cautious position.
Nuclear weapons among expected topics
According to the Associated Press, Trump sees the meeting as an opportunity to begin discussions on a possible trilateral agreement on nuclear arsenals. The last treaty limiting the nuclear weapons of the United States and Russia – New START – expired in February 2026.
A U.S. official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that the meeting could mark the beginning of talks on nuclear disarmament, but that no specific agreements were expected to be announced in Shenzhen itself. China has so far shown limited interest in such a treaty, with the U.S. and Russian nuclear arsenals significantly exceeding China’s.
Trump is also expected to discuss the war with Iran with Putin and Xi. According to the same U.S. official, the conflict in Ukraine will not be a primary topic of the trilateral talks. The meeting has nevertheless already raised concerns in Kyiv that decisions concerning Ukraine could be discussed without its participation.
Peskov described the possible meeting as extremely significant, but said that agreements reached in Shenzhen could not be imposed on other countries. Analysts cited by the Associated Press expect the talks to have greater symbolic and political significance than practical importance.
Sources: apnews.com, tass.com