In a year when the old treaties that once tethered the world's largest arsenals have lapsed, the American president has announced his intention to bring the leaders of Russia and China into a single room in Shenzhen, on the sidelines of a regional trade gathering, to speak of reducing nuclear weapons. The proposal is unprecedented in its shape, yet the people closest to it expect no agreement to emerge. Beijing, which has long held that the nations with the largest stockpiles should negotiate between themselves before anyone else is asked to join, has not yet confirmed that such a conversation
Trump to Press Xi and Putin on Nuclear Arms Cuts at Shenzhen Summit, With No Deal Expected
No deal expected, and the official said so plainly
Mark
Why does this meeting matter if nobody expects a deal?
Mimi
Because it would be the first time the three leaders sit together in this format, and because New START expired in February. The biggest arsenals now have no major limits on them.
Mark
Who holds what?
Mimi
According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, Russia has the most stored warheads, then the US, then China.
Luke
Worth noting that's one research institute's accounting, and the piece doesn't give numbers. I can't tell you the gaps between them from this reporting.
Mark
What is China's objection?
Mimi
It says Russia and the US have larger arsenals and should talk directly. In October its Foreign Ministry called trilateral talks neither fair, reasonable nor realistic at this stage.
Luke
And here's a gap. The White House says it's a three-way meeting. Chinese state media have only mentioned bilateral talks for Xi. Moscow and Beijing haven't responded. So the format is announced by one side only.
Mark
What about the official's remark about the adults' table?
Mimi
It's blunt, and it was said anonymously to Reuters. It tells you Washington expects resistance and is willing to say so.
Luke
Right, and it's one unnamed official's framing. It isn't a statement of US policy, and it doesn't tell us what Trump will actually propose.
Mark
And Iran and Ukraine?
Mimi
Trump is expected to raise the Iran war, but not Ukraine, per the official.
Luke
Again, expected. Nothing there is confirmed until the meeting happens.
O Pulso
- The White House says Trump will press Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin on nuclear cuts at a first-ever three-way meeting in Shenzhen, but a senior US official has already lowered expectations.
- With New START expired in February, the world's largest arsenals now sit without any major legal limits, and the pressure to fill that void is rising.
- Beijing has long refused trilateral nuclear talks, calling such a demand unfair and unrealistic, and its state media mention only bilateral discussions with Xi.
- Moscow and Beijing have stayed silent on the announcement, leaving the meeting's format unconfirmed as Trump prepares to depart for Asia.
- Watch whether the trilateral format is confirmed and whether Iran dominates the conversation while Ukraine is kept off the agenda.
In a year when the old treaties that once tethered the world's largest arsenals have lapsed, the American president has announced his intention to bring the leaders of Russia and China into a single room in Shenzhen, on the sidelines of a regional trade gathering, to speak of reducing nuclear weapons. The proposal is unprecedented in its shape, yet the people closest to it expect no agreement to emerge. Beijing, which has long held that the nations with the largest stockpiles should negotiate between themselves before anyone else is asked to join, has not yet confirmed that such a conversation will take place. What remains is a question older than the treaties themselves: whether great powers can be persuaded to speak about restraint before fear forces them to.
The White House has announced that President Donald Trump plans to use a meeting with Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping next week to push for cuts to nuclear arsenals. The gathering is set for Thursday on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum in Shenzhen, and would be the first time the three leaders have met in this form. Trump departs Monday for a four-day Asia trip that also includes a stop in the Philippines.
A senior US official, speaking to Reuters, was blunt about the outlook: no agreement is expected. The official described nuclear reduction as a difficult subject for China and said Washington believes Beijing should take its place at what it called the adults' table. Trump is also expected to raise the US-Israeli war against Iran, while Ukraine is not expected to come up.
China has shown little enthusiasm. Beijing has long argued that Russia and the United States, which hold the largest arsenals, should negotiate directly, and in October its Foreign Ministry called it neither fair nor realistic to ask China to join trilateral disarmament talks at this stage. State media say Xi will hold bilateral talks at the summit but have not mentioned a three-way meeting. Neither Moscow nor Beijing has responded to the announcement.
The stakes sit against a broader gap in arms control. New START expired in February, leaving the world's largest arsenals without major limits. The question now is whether Moscow and Beijing confirm that a three-way format exists at all, and whether the conversation stays focused on Iran while Ukraine remains off the table.
The White House announced on Friday that President Donald Trump will use a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping in China next week to push for cuts to nuclear arsenals. A senior US official, speaking to Reuters, said plainly that no agreement is expected.
The meeting is scheduled for Thursday on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum in Shenzhen. It would be the first gathering of the three leaders in this form. Trump leaves Monday for a four-day trip to Asia that also includes a stop in the Philippines.
White House spokesperson Olivia Wales described the president's aim in broad terms. Trump, she told reporters, will discuss reducing nuclear weapons in the world, whose proliferation he considers very dangerous. According to the senior official, Trump will also raise the US-Israeli war against Iran. Ukraine, by contrast, is not expected to come up.
The same official was candid about the odds. "We do not expect to get to any kind of agreement," the official said, calling the subject a difficult one for China. The official added that Washington thinks it is time for China to step up to what was called the adults' table and hold adult conversations about adult things.
China has given little sign it sees it that way. Beijing has long resisted nuclear talks with Washington, arguing that Russia and the United States, whose arsenals are larger, should negotiate directly. In October, China's Foreign Ministry said it would be neither fair, reasonable nor realistic to ask China to join the so-called trilateral nuclear disarmament negotiations at this stage.
The signals from the Chinese side so far are narrow. State media have said Xi will hold bilateral talks at the summit, but they have not mentioned a trilateral meeting. Neither Moscow nor Beijing had commented on the White House announcement.
The backdrop is a gap in the architecture of arms control. The US-Russia New START treaty expired in February, leaving the world's largest arsenals without major limits. According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, Russia holds the most stored warheads, followed by the United States and China.
What to watch now is whether Moscow and Beijing confirm that a three-way format exists at all, and whether Trump raises Iran while leaving Ukraine off the table, as his team has signaled.
Citações Notáveis
We do not expect to get to any kind of agreement.— Senior US official, to Reuters
He will discuss the reduction of nuclear weapons in the world, whose proliferation President Trump believes is very dangerous.— Olivia Wales, White House spokesperson
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Leia o original em Deutsche Welle ↗