US, China and Russia leaders to hold first-ever three-way meeting in Shenzhen

US President Donald Trump, Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin will hold their first-ever trilateral meeting in China's Shenzhen from November 18 to 19 on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit. The White House confirmed the upcoming talks, which follow a major setback for Trump's party in the midterm elections and are drawing comparisons to the 1945 Yalta conference that shaped the post-World War Two global order.

Key Topics

Trump plans to raise the reduction of nuclear arsenals during the three-way talks, calling global nuclear proliferation very dangerous. US officials stated that Trump will also bring up the war in Iran during the meeting, though discussions regarding Russia's war in Ukraine will not take place in this forum because Washington handles those negotiations on a separate track with Kyiv and Moscow. Other subjects like export controls on sensitive chip technology and the recent resignation of Nvidia chief executive Jensen Huang are not expected to figure in the conversations. Tesla and SpaceX boss Elon Musk will accompany Trump on the Asia trip but will not join the meeting with Xi and Putin.

Diplomatic Status

While the White House and the Kremlin have both confirmed the schedule, formal confirmation from the Chinese administration remains pending. A spokesperson for Beijing's embassy in Washington stated that China is in communication with relevant parties regarding a meeting between the three heads of state. Alongside the trilateral gathering, Trump is scheduled to hold a bilateral working lunch and meeting with Xi Jinping on Thursday, marking their fourth meeting since Trump's return to power last year, though no separate one-on-one session is planned with Putin.

Context

High-level trilateral summits between the world's most powerful nations typically occur during major international forums when leaders seek to address overriding global security concerns. The APEC summit provides a regular diplomatic platform for regional and global powers to manage major geopolitical tensions. Such high-stakes meetings are closely watched by international observers to gauge shifts in global alliances and arms control policies.