Trump, Putin and Xi to hold trilateral meeting in China next week
US President Donald Trump, Russian President Vladimir Putin, and Chinese President Xi Jinping are set to hold an unprecedented trilateral meeting next week at the Apec summit in Shenzhen, China. White House spokeswoman Olivia Wales announced the session will conclude Trump’s trip, following an Asean summit in the Philippines on Tuesday. Trump will arrive in Shenzhen late Wednesday and hold bilateral talks with Xi on Thursday—their fourth meeting since Trump returned to office in 2025—before the tripartite meeting.
Arms control will headline the agenda following the February expiration of the US-Russia nuclear control treaty, which left the superpowers' arsenals without major guardrails. Trump intends to pursue a broader agreement incorporating China, though analysts warn that trilateral negotiations face severe hurdles. Iran may also be addressed, but Ukraine is excluded from the agenda, and US officials expect no formal deal to be signed.
The meeting comes amid shifting geopolitical currents. Beijing remains Moscow’s vital economic partner, while recent US moves to import Russian diesel and pause sanctions on Russian energy buyers caused European concern. At the same time, friction persists between Washington and Beijing over trade, artificial intelligence, and Taiwan. While Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov previously noted readiness for talks, Chinese state media has so far acknowledged only Xi’s bilateral meetings.
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