The White House has confirmed that U.S. President Donald Trump, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping will hold their first-ever trilateral meeting on the sidelines of the APEC summit in Shenzhen, with nuclear non-proliferation set as the main topic and the war in Ukraine not on the trilateral agenda.
The meeting marks the first time the three leaders have gathered for face-to-face talks. A senior U.S. official told the AP that Trump also plans to discuss the war in Iran during the trilateral session, but will not discuss the conflict in Ukraine. The official described the gathering as the “beginning of hopefully a conversation” on nuclear disarmament “that can be productive going forward,” adding that no new agreements are expected to be announced.
The U.S., Russia, and China boast the world's largest nuclear stockpiles, though the U.S. and Russian arsenals greatly outsize Beijing's. The New START nuclear arms control treaty, first signed in 2010, expired in February 2026, and the Trump administration allowed the agreement to lapse; Trump said he would like to keep limits on nuclear weapons and involve China in arms control talks. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Trump had been clear that “true arms control in the 21st century” must include China because of its “vast and rapidly growing stockpile.”
The war in Ukraine being off the trilateral agenda may disappoint Putin, who reportedly proposed the trilateral meeting in order to secure a peace deal more favorable to Russia. According to The Wall Street Journal, Putin proposed the trilateral meeting in order to secure a peace deal more favorable to Russia. Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov told Russian state media that Trump and Putin would hold in-depth talks on a peace settlement on the sidelines of the summit. “Naturally, during the planned meeting with (Trump) at the APEC summit in Shenzhen, we will continue to discuss the full range of issues related to the settlement,” Ushakov said.
Kyiv lambasted the proposal, with Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha saying the summit would only “encourage Putin to continue this war.” Separately, German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier said Xi had no interest in discussing the war at the summit, believing that role should be played by Europe rather than China. The Kremlin has maintained that negotiations on Ukraine will go forward at APEC without representation from Ukraine or the Europeans.
Analysis
Why This Matters
- The trilateral summit is unprecedented and signals a new era of direct great-power diplomacy that bypasses traditional multilateral forums.
- By excluding Ukraine from the formal agenda, Trump sets up a potential divide with European allies who have backed Kyiv.
- The focus on nuclear non-proliferation, absent a functioning treaty with Russia, represents a high-stakes attempt to restart arms control, now including China.
Background
The three nations possess the world's largest nuclear stockpiles. The New START treaty between the U.S. and Russia, the last major arms control pact, expired in February 2026 after the Trump administration allowed it to lapse, arguing any future deal must include China, whose arsenal is rapidly expanding. Russia's war in Ukraine, now entering its third year, has deepened the rift between Moscow and the West, while China has positioned itself as a partner to Russia, raising questions in Kyiv and European capitals about the role it might play in any settlement.
Key Perspectives
White House: Wants the trilateral summit to focus solely on nuclear non-proliferation and disarmament, explicitly keeping the Ukraine war off the formal agenda.
Kremlin (Yuri Ushakov): Insists that U.S.-Russia talks on a Ukraine peace settlement will take place on the summit sidelines.
Ukraine (Andrii Sybiha): Condemns any three-way meeting as providing encouragement to Putin and validating the invasion.
Germany (Frank-Walter Steinmeier): States that Xi Jinping has no interest in hosting Ukraine talks at APEC and believes that role should fall to Europe.
What to Watch
- The outcome of any bilateral Trump-Putin meeting on Ukraine, which could reshape the diplomatic landscape.
- Whether the trilateral summit produces a joint statement on nuclear risk reduction or strategic stability.
- The reaction from NATO and EU capitals if peace talks proceed without European or Ukrainian representation.
Checked
12 claims in this story checked against 1 source: 12 supported.
Show each claim
- SupportedThe White House confirmed that Trump, Putin and Xi would hold their first-ever trilateral meeting on the sidelines of the APEC summit in Shenzhen.Kyiv Independent: “U.S. President Donald Trump, Russian President Vladimir Putin, and Chinese President Xi Jinping will hold their first-ever trilateral meeting on the sidelines of the upcoming APEC summit in Shenzhen, the White House confirmed on Nov. 13.”
- SupportedThe war in Ukraine will not be on the trilateral meeting’s agenda.Kyiv Independent: “Trump also plans to discuss the war in Iran — but not the war in Ukraine, the official said.”
- SupportedNuclear non-proliferation will be the meeting’s main topic.Kyiv Independent: “The main topic of the meeting will be nuclear non-proliferation, a senior U.S. official told the Associated Press (AP) and other media outlets on Nov. 13.”
- SupportedThe meeting will be the first time the three leaders have gathered for face-to-face talks.Kyiv Independent: “This will mark the first time the three world leaders have gathered for face-to-face talks.”
- SupportedTrump plans to discuss the war in Iran during the trilateral session.Kyiv Independent: “Trump also plans to discuss the war in Iran — but not the war in Ukraine, the official said.”
- SupportedA senior U.S. official described the meeting as the “beginning of hopefully a conversation” on nuclear disarmament “that can be productive going forward.”Kyiv Independent: “The meeting is meant to be the "beginning of hopefully a conversation" on nuclear disarmament "that can be productive going forward," the official said.”
- SupportedNo new agreements are expected to be announced at the meeting.Kyiv Independent: “No new agreements are expected to be announced at the meeting.”
- SupportedTrump said he would like to keep limits on nuclear weapons and involve China in arms control talks.Kyiv Independent: “with Trump saying "that he would like to keep limits on nuclear weapons and involve China in arms control talks," a U.S. official said at the time.”
- SupportedRubio said “true arms control in the 21st century” must include China because of its “vast and rapidly growing stockpile.”Kyiv Independent: “"Obviously, the president's been clear in the past that in order to have true arms control in the 21st century, it's impossible to do something that doesn't include China because of their vast and rapidly growing stockpile," Rubio said.”
- SupportedPutin reportedly proposed the trilateral meeting to secure a peace deal more favorable to Russia.Kyiv Independent: “Putin, who reportedly proposed the trilateral meeting in order to secure a peace deal more favorable to Russia, according to the Wall Street Journal.”
- SupportedUshakov said: “Naturally, during the planned meeting with (Trump) at the APEC summit in Shenzhen, we will continue to discuss the full range of issues related to the settlement.”Kyiv Independent: “"Naturally, during the planned meeting with (Trump) at the APEC summit in Shenzhen, we will continue to discuss the full range of issues related to the settlement," Ushakov said.”
- SupportedSybiha said the summit would only “encourage Putin to continue this war.”Kyiv Independent: “Kyiv lambasted the proposal , with Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha saying the summit would only "encourage Putin to continue this war."”