Trump, Putin, and Xi to hold first trilateral meeting in China
US President Donald Trump, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping are set to hold their first-ever trilateral meeting in China next week, with nuclear arms control expected to dominate discussions.
The White House confirmed on Friday that the three leaders would meet on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Shenzhen.
Trump is expected to push for a reduction in global nuclear arsenals, although Washington has played down expectations of an immediate agreement.
“President Trump will conclude his visit to China with a trilateral meeting between the president of the United States, the president of the People's Republic of China, and the president of the Russian Federation,” White House spokeswoman Olivia Wales said.
Wales said Trump considered nuclear weapons proliferation a serious threat. However, negotiations could prove difficult as China has resisted direct arms control talks with Washington, arguing that discussions should primarily involve the US and Russia, which have much larger nuclear stockpiles.
A senior US administration official said Washington hoped the meeting would lead to further discussions.
“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,” the official said.
The ongoing US-Israeli war against Iran is also expected to feature in the discussions. However, the Ukraine conflict is unlikely to be raised as Washington considers it a separate diplomatic track involving Moscow.
Trump is also not expected to hold a separate meeting with Putin during the visit. SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, who is accompanying Trump on the trip, will not attend the trilateral meeting.
The proposed talks come after the expiry of the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START) between Washington and Moscow earlier this year, raising concerns over global nuclear security.
Trump will leave for Asia on Monday, attend an ASEAN summit in the Philippines on Tuesday, and arrive in Shenzhen late Wednesday. He is scheduled to hold a separate bilateral meeting with Xi on Thursday.