Trump Xi Putin Meeting Set for Shenzhen Next Week
The Trump Xi Putin meeting will bring Donald Trump, Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin together for the first three-way talks between the leaders of the United States, Russia and China at a summit in Shenzhen next week, the White House said on Friday.
The Trump Xi Putin meeting will take place on Thursday on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in the southern Chinese city, White House spokeswoman Olivia Wales told reporters.
Trump wants to discuss reducing nuclear arsenals at the talks, and he also plans to raise the war in Iran. He is not expected to discuss Russia’s war in Ukraine, US officials said.
“The president has made it clear that, among other topics, he will discuss the reduction of nuclear weapons in the world. This proliferation, President Trump believes, is very dangerous,” Wales said.
Trump Xi Putin meeting: what is on the agenda
One of the major conflicts of Trump’s second term will feature at the meeting, but the other will not, the US officials said.
“I think the president does intend to talk about Iran in the trilateral meeting with Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin,” a senior US official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told reporters on a call.
Washington has a “whole other track” of talks with Kyiv and Moscow, the official added, covering discussions US envoys have held with Putin in Moscow and meetings with President Volodymyr Zelensky.
“China is not really a part of that track, so it doesn’t seem appropriate to have the Ukraine discussion there,” the official added.
Putin has rejected a compromise deal on Ukraine, which leaves the separate talks with little room to move.
A first for the three leaders
No meeting of this kind has taken place before, and the White House described the Shenzhen session as historic.
Trump will also hold a bilateral working lunch and meeting with Xi on Thursday, their fourth meeting since his return to power. He is not scheduled to have a separate one-on-one meeting with Putin.
Trump will leave Washington on Monday and arrive in the Philippines on Tuesday for an ASEAN summit before heading to Shenzhen. Elon Musk will travel with him but will not take part in the meeting, the officials said.
Yalta parallel draws a warning from Kyiv
The meeting has drawn comparisons with the 1945 Yalta summit, where Roosevelt, Churchill and Stalin laid out the post-war settlement and new boundaries in Europe.
Zelensky has raised the alarm that the meeting in Shenzhen could become a Yalta-like “redistribution of spheres of influence” for the 21st century.
The Trump administration has sought to reassert US dominance over the “Western hemisphere”, including by capturing Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro in January.
Pakistan has urged de-escalation in the Gulf as the Iran war has widened, and oil prices have risen on disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz. Both issues are likely to shape the talks, since Trump plans to raise Iran directly with Xi and Putin.
What will not be discussed
Nvidia chief executive Jensen Huang’s resignation over an affair with an alleged Chinese spy is not expected to come up in Trump’s meetings with Xi, the officials said.
“The situation with Nvidia should not really have any bearing on the trip,” a second senior US official said.
The United States also does not plan to discuss export controls on sensitive chip technology, which were at the heart of the Nvidia scandal.
Why the meeting matters
The Shenzhen meeting brings together the leaders of the world’s three most powerful states at a moment of sharp tension, with the Iran war, the Ukraine war and US-China rivalry all running at once.
For Trump, it is a chance to press for smaller nuclear arsenals. For Xi, hosting puts China at the centre of great-power diplomacy. For Putin, a seat at the table underlines Russia’s standing despite sanctions and the war in Ukraine.
The White House has announced no joint statement or agreements.
Frequently asked questions
When will Trump, Xi and Putin meet?
On Thursday, November 19, on the sidelines of the APEC summit in Shenzhen.
Where will the meeting take place?
In Shenzhen, on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit.
What will Trump discuss at the meeting?
Reducing nuclear arsenals and the war in Iran, according to the White House.
Will the leaders discuss Ukraine?
No. US officials said Ukraine stays on a separate track of talks with Kyiv and Moscow.
Has a meeting like this happened before?
No. This will be the first three-way meeting of the US, Russian and Chinese leaders.
