MOSCOW - Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed on Nov. 14 that U.S. President Donald Trump, Chinese President Xi Jinping, and Russian President Vladimir Putin will hold a trilateral meeting in Shenzhen on Nov. 19. The unprecedented three-way talks will take place on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit.
What happened?
Russian, Chinese, and U.S. officials finalized an agreement to convene the three leaders on Nov. 19 during the APEC Leaders' Meeting scheduled for Nov. 18-19 in Shenzhen. White House officials said Trump will leave Washington on Monday for Manila to attend a Quad leaders' meeting and the US-ASEAN Special Summit before flying to Shenzhen on Wednesday. Trump plans to hold a bilateral meeting and working lunch with Xi on Thursday ahead of the trilateral session.
Why does it matter?
The White House said Trump intends to raise nuclear arms reductions during the talks, warning that nuclear proliferation remains dangerous. "An agreement has been reached to hold a trilateral meeting on the 19th between President Putin, Chairman Xi and President Trump. This meeting will take place in Shenzhen on the sidelines of the APEC summit," Peskov said on Nov. 14. A senior U.S. official told Anadolu Agency that Washington does not expect an immediate agreement and views the summit as an initial leader-level conversation.
What comes next?
U.S. officials said Trump plans to discuss Iran during the trilateral meeting, while excluding Ukraine because China is not part of the separate U.S.-Russia track. Another senior U.S. official described the bilateral Trump-Xi session as an implementation check-in on existing trade terms, with no tariff changes expected.
