U.S. President Donald Trump is set to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping at a trilateral summit in Shenzhen, China, on November 19. The meeting will occur alongside the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit, with discussions primarily focused on nuclear arms reduction and the conflict involving Iran, according to White House officials.
Notably absent from the agenda is Russia’s ongoing war against Ukraine. A senior U.S. administration official explained that Ukraine-related talks are being managed through a separate diplomatic channel involving Washington, Kyiv, and Moscow, and since China is not part of this process, the trilateral summit is deemed an inappropriate forum for such discussions.
This position contrasts with earlier suggestions from the Kremlin. Kremlin foreign policy adviser Yuri Ushakov had previously indicated that the summit could serve as a venue for continuing discussions on a potential resolution to the Ukraine conflict. His remarks came after a meeting in Moscow between Putin and U.S. representatives Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, following separate negotiations in Abu Dhabi involving delegations from Ukraine, Russia, and the United States.
The upcoming summit marks the first planned trilateral meeting between Trump, Putin, and Xi, with nuclear security and Iran expected to remain the central topics of dialogue. The strategic exclusion of Ukraine from the agenda underscores the current U.S. administration’s approach to addressing the conflict through established diplomatic channels, separate from the trilateral talks.
The White House’s focus reflects a strategic choice to prioritize issues where all three nations have vested interests and can potentially reach a consensus, amid ongoing global tensions. As the summit approaches, the dynamics between the United States, Russia, and China continue to be closely watched, given their significant influence on international affairs.