Trump, Xi and Putin to hold unprecedented joint meeting in China

Donald Trump, Vladimir Putin, and Xi Jinping plan to hold an unprecedented three-way meeting on Thursday in China, according to the White House.

Summit Details on the Sidelines of APEC

The White House confirmed on Friday that the leaders of the United States, Russia, and China will meet on Thursday on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit. The gathering is set to take place in Shenzhen, China's tech hub. According to the White House, the session will bring together the leaders of the world's biggest nuclear powers.

White House spokeswoman Olivia Wales told reporters that the trip will advance America's interests in the Indo-Pacific. While the White House and Russia confirmed the meeting, China's foreign ministry had not officially reacted to the trilateral announcement at the time of the reports, though Chinese state media noted Xi would take part in bilateral talks on the sidelines of APEC.

Nuclear Weapons Agenda and the Expiry of New START

Nuclear weapons reduction is slated to be a topic of discussion. Olivia Wales stated that Donald Trump believes global nuclear proliferation is very dangerous. The meeting arrives nine months after the expiration of the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty, which lapsed in February and left Washington and Moscow without major guardrails on their strategic nuclear arsenals for the first time in more than half a century.

Donald Trump has rejected Russia's offer to extend the treaty for another year, saying he wanted a new agreement that would also include China. Beijing has resisted joining such negotiations, arguing that its nuclear arsenal is much smaller than those of Washington and Moscow. China has more than 600 nuclear warheads, compared with more than 5,000 each for Russia and the US.

A senior U.S. Administration official acknowledged that expectations for concrete outcomes are low. We do not expect to get to any kind of agreement, the official said, adding: This is a difficult topic for China to address, but we do think it’s time for China to sort of step up, you know, to the adults’ table, if you will, and have adult conversations about adult things. Analysts similarly noted that the talks are expected to be heavier in symbolism than in substance.

Geopolitical Context Over Iran and Ukraine

Beyond nuclear arms, the agenda includes discussions regarding the war in Iran. U.S. Officials indicated that Russia's invasion of Ukraine is not expected to feature on the trilateral agenda. A senior U.S. Official explained that Washington has had many meetings recently with the Russians, but because China is not really a part of that track, it does not seem appropriate to have the Ukraine discussion there.

The planned summit has drawn comparisons to the 1945 Yalta Conference, where the leaders of the US, Britain, and the Soviet Union discussed the postwar settlement in Europe, reviving concerns about major powers making decisions that affect other countries without consulting them. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has repeatedly insisted that his country must be involved in any discussions about its future. Previously, Ukrainian foreign minister Andrii Sybiha warned against giving Putin such a platform, stating that inviting Putin to such a meeting would feed his appetite for self-aggrandizement, give him a stature he does not deserve, and encourage him to continue the war. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov dismissed the comparison, saying that any agreements reached in Shenzhen could not be imposed on other countries, while describing a meeting between the three leaders as extremely significant.

Ahead of the Thursday trilateral session, Donald Trump is scheduled to hold bilateral talks and a working lunch with Xi on Thursday, ahead of the trilateral meeting, marking his fourth meeting with Xi since returning to office in 2025. Trump is due to visit Manila on Tuesday for talks with leaders of the Association of South-east Asian Nations before heading to Shenzhen. Billionaire Elon Musk is slated to accompany Trump on the China visit, but a senior US official said he would not attend the talks with Xi and Putin.