U.S. President Donald Trump is set to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping on November 19 in Shenzhen, China, coinciding with the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit. The White House has confirmed that the primary focus of this trilateral summit will be on nuclear arms reduction and discussions concerning Iran, effectively excluding Russia’s ongoing war against Ukraine from the agenda.
A senior U.S. administration official explained that the exclusion of the Ukraine conflict is due to ongoing negotiations being conducted through a separate diplomatic channel involving Washington, Kyiv, and Moscow, which does not directly include China. Therefore, the administration does not view this trilateral meeting as an appropriate forum for discussing the war in Ukraine.
This position stands in contrast to previous statements from the Kremlin, where officials had hinted that the meeting might serve as a continuation of discussions aimed at resolving the Ukraine conflict. Kremlin foreign policy adviser Yuri Ushakov had earlier suggested that Trump and Putin could engage in talks about a possible settlement during their meeting in Shenzhen.
The anticipation for this summit follows a significant meeting in Moscow between Putin and U.S. representatives Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner. This gathering occurred after separate negotiations involving delegations from Ukraine, Russia, and the United States in Abu Dhabi.
The upcoming summit marks the first planned trilateral gathering between Trump, Putin, and Xi, with nuclear security and Iran expected to dominate the discussions. The meeting reflects ongoing international efforts to address pressing global security issues, while the Ukraine conflict continues to be managed through other diplomatic channels.