U.S. President Donald Trump is set to engage in a significant trilateral meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping in Shenzhen, China, on November 19. This gathering will occur on the fringes of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit and marks the first planned meeting of its kind between the three leaders.
The primary focus of the discussions will be on nuclear arms reduction and the conflict involving Iran, as confirmed by the White House. Notably absent from the agenda is the ongoing war in Ukraine, despite earlier signals from the Kremlin suggesting otherwise. According to a senior U.S. administration official, the Ukraine conflict is being addressed through a separate diplomatic process that includes Washington, Kyiv, and Moscow, making the trilateral summit an unsuitable forum for such discussions.
China’s lack of direct involvement in the Ukraine negotiations further supports the White House’s decision to exclude the topic from the Shenzhen meeting. This stance diverges from previous comments made by Kremlin foreign policy adviser Yuri Ushakov, who had alluded to the possibility of continuing Ukraine-related talks between Trump and Putin at the summit.
The Kremlin’s anticipation of discussing Ukraine at the summit followed a substantial meeting between Putin and U.S. representatives Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner in Moscow. This took place after separate negotiations involving Ukrainian, Russian, and American delegations in Abu Dhabi.
The upcoming trilateral summit is expected to emphasize nuclear security and Iran, topics deemed more relevant to the current global political landscape and the interests of all involved parties. As the leaders prepare for their meeting, the international community will closely monitor the outcomes, particularly in the areas of nuclear arms reduction and Iran’s geopolitical influence.