Trump Open to China-Russia Trilateral Summit at November APEC Meeting

U.S. President Donald Trump has expressed willingness to hold a trilateral meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin during the APEC summit in Shenzhen, China, scheduled for November 18-19. Trump stated on October 19 that he would participate "if they want to have it" and that the meeting would likely focus on nuclear arsenals reduction rather than the Ukraine conflict.

The trilateral summit proposal emerged following a phone call between Trump and Putin on October 9, during which the Russian president reportedly suggested the meeting during the Shenzhen APEC gathering. Both the Kremlin and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirmed discussions about the summit on October 21. China's Foreign Ministry has not announced specific plans, stating it has no information available to provide at this time. The three countries have held bilateral meetings but have never conducted a formal trilateral summit.

Trump indicated the talks would address nuclear weapons reductions and trade issues, stating "I'm sure we'd talk about other things like trade too." He emphasized the meeting was not solely focused on Ukraine, noting that "Russia has done fairly well" on the Ukraine issue. Ukraine has criticized the exclusion of its participation, warning that a summit without Ukrainian involvement could encourage Putin to prolong the conflict.

The November summit marks Trump's second visit to China this year and his third meeting with Xi since beginning his second presidential term. The two governments have maintained a trade war truce agreement, recently extended through January 2027, and trade tensions are expected to feature prominently in bilateral discussions.

The summit also raises possibilities for other diplomatic contacts. Trump has repeatedly expressed willingness to meet North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, though he downplayed such a meeting's likelihood, stating he was uncertain whether Kim intended to visit China during the APEC gathering. South Korea is also watching the summit as a potential opportunity to address Chinese restrictions on Korean cultural content.