Trump, Putin and Xi to meet in Shenzhen next week to discuss nuclear arms, White House says

The White House announced that U.S. President Donald Trump, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping plan to hold a trilateral meeting next week on the margins of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in the southern Chinese city of Shenzhen.

White House spokeswoman Olivia Welles told reporters that Trump will, among other topics, press for reductions in the world's nuclear arsenals, which he regards as "very dangerous" when they spread. The meeting is also expected to touch on Iran, but not on Ukraine, the White House said.

An unnamed senior U.S. official told news agencies that no agreement is expected to come out of the talks. Moscow and Beijing have not yet commented on the White House announcement.

Trump is scheduled to arrive in Shenzhen late on Wednesday for the two-day summit of 21 member economies. On Thursday he will hold bilateral talks with Xi — their fourth meeting since Trump returned to office in 2025 — and will conclude his China visit with the trilateral meeting of the three presidents. The trip also includes participation in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit in the Philippines on Tuesday.

Background

The arms-control agreement that limited U.S. and Russian nuclear forces expired in February, leaving the world's two largest nuclear arsenals without a principal set of limits and effectively ending the post–Cold War cooperation on arms control that helped restrain nuclear competition.

The United Nations urged both sides to agree without delay on a new framework. Trump has said he might replace the treaty with a better arrangement that would include China, which is expanding its arsenal.

Photo: Bela kukja)