The White House has announced that U.S. President Donald Trump intends to hold a trilateral meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping on November 19 in the Chinese city of Shenzhen, on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit.
The White House press pool quoted a U.S. administration official as saying that the meeting could take place next Thursday, alongside the APEC summit scheduled for November 18 and 19.
The official explained that Trump intends to raise the issue of reducing nuclear arsenals during the meeting, noting that Washington does not expect an agreement on the matter to be reached at this stage.
The Associated Press, citing a U.S. official, reported that Trump also plans to discuss the war in Iran with Putin and Xi Jinping, but does not intend to address the Ukraine issue during the trilateral meeting.
The agency added that Washington views the meeting as a possible starting point for discussions that could lead to understandings on nuclear arms control.
Russian and Chinese Preparations for the Summit
On November 12, Russian presidential aide Yuri Ushakov announced that preparations were underway for a bilateral meeting between Putin and Trump on the sidelines of the APEC summit. Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov also spoke about preparations for a trilateral meeting involving the Russian and American presidents and the Chinese leader.
In remarks reported by Interfax on November 12, Ryabkov confirmed that preparations for the trilateral summit were continuing, noting that the Chinese side was coordinating the arrangements.
On the same day, Ushakov said Moscow and Washington attached great importance to the anticipated meeting and were working to determine its content and agenda. He also expressed Russia’s hope that the summit would help improve the international situation.
Meanwhile, Interfax quoted the White House on November 14 as saying that there were currently no plans for a separate bilateral meeting between Trump and Putin during the visit.
China Prepares to Host the APEC Summit
China’s Foreign Ministry confirmed on November 13 that President Xi Jinping would chair the APEC summit in Shenzhen and hold bilateral meetings with several participating leaders. However, its announcement did not include details about the anticipated trilateral meeting.
Earlier, the U.S. State Department announced that Secretary of State Marco Rubio and his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi had agreed during a phone call on November 11 on the importance of holding leader-level discussions on peace and nuclear disarmament, including consideration of a possible trilateral meeting involving Russia.
