On a Friday in mid-November, the White House confirmed what would have seemed improbable only a few years ago: the presidents of the United States, China and Russia may sit together on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Shenzhen, the Chinese city that rose from a fishing village into a technology center within a few decades. Never before have the leaders of the three largest nuclear powers gathered in one room, and the moment arrives amid a fraying arms-control order, an unfinished war in Ukraine and a conflict with Iran that shadows every conversation. Those clos
Trump, Xi and Putin Plan Unprecedented Trilateral Meeting at APEC Summit in Shenzhen
The first gathering of the three biggest nuclear powers' leaders
Mark
Why does a meeting with no expected agreements matter at all?
Mimi
Because of who is in the room. It's the first time the leaders of the three biggest nuclear powers would meet together, and New START expired in February, so the two largest arsenals have no caps.
Mark
Whose idea of an arms deal is this?
Mimi
Trump's. He turned down Russia's request to extend New START a year and asked for a new deal that includes China.
Luke
And China hasn't signaled it wants that. Its roughly 600 warheads, by Pentagon estimate, compare with more than 5,000 each for the U.S. and Russia.
Mark
So why would Xi host?
Mimi
Analysts suggest prestige. Showing off Shenzhen and China's clout. But the reporting says Beijing was the least certain about the summit's value.
Luke
Careful, though. Those are analysts' readings of motive, not anything Beijing has said. We don't have a Chinese statement on its goals.
Mark
What about Ukraine?
Mimi
A U.S. official says Trump will avoid it. Zelenskyy still fears a deal made behind Kyiv's back.
Luke
That fear is stated, not demonstrated. What's confirmed is the U.S. plan to skip the topic; whether Putin or Xi raise it is unknown.
Mark
And the Yalta comparison?
Mimi
Peskov rejected it, saying nothing agreed in Shenzhen can be imposed on others.
O Pulso
- The first-ever trilateral summit of the world's three biggest nuclear powers is set to unfold on the margins of APEC, and the stakes feel heavier than the agenda admits.
- With New START expired and no cap on the two largest arsenals for the first time in over fifty years, the nuclear question hangs over the room like an open wound.
- Washington presses Beijing to join a modernized arms deal, while Beijing, holding roughly 600 warheads, shows little appetite for negotiations that would bind it.
- Kyiv fears the leaders could quietly bargain over Ukraine, and the White House insists it will steer clear of that subject even as the Kremlin plays for equal standing.
- A U.S. official says no agreements are expected, so the likely landing is a photograph of three leaders, a first step at best, and a debate over whether symbolism alone is enough.
On a Friday in mid-November, the White House confirmed what would have seemed improbable only a few years ago: the presidents of the United States, China and Russia may sit together on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Shenzhen, the Chinese city that rose from a fishing village into a technology center within a few decades. Never before have the leaders of the three largest nuclear powers gathered in one room, and the moment arrives amid a fraying arms-control order, an unfinished war in Ukraine and a conflict with Iran that shadows every conversation. Those closest to the matter expect more theater than treaty, and the meeting seems less a turning point than a mirror reflecting how each capital wishes to be seen.
The White House has confirmed that Donald Trump, Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin plan to meet on Thursday on the sidelines of next week's Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Shenzhen. No gathering of the leaders of the world's three biggest nuclear powers has ever happened, and analysts expect more symbolism than substance.
The mood is awkward for all three. Trump has warmed to Xi since a trade truce last year, despite friction over the U.S. war with Iran, and he has kept cultivating Putin even though Russia has fought in Ukraine for nearly five years and deepened its ties with Tehran. Trump says the meeting offers a chance to discuss Iran and to pursue a three-way nuclear agreement. A senior U.S. official said he will raise Iran with both men but avoid Ukraine, and that no deals are expected.
The arms-control gap is real. New START expired in February, and Trump rejected Russia's offer of a one-year extension, calling instead for a modernized pact that includes China. The Pentagon estimates Beijing holds more than 600 warheads, far below the more than 5,000 each held by Washington and Moscow, and China has been reluctant to commit to any limits.
Each capital has its own motives. Xi may relish showcasing China's growing influence, while the Kremlin hopes to be seen as a superpower on equal footing with Washington and Beijing. Yet Beijing is reportedly the least certain of the summit's value, since a trilateral sits uneasily with its professed commitment to multilateralism. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has worried the gathering could become a place to settle Ukraine's future without Kyiv, and some have likened it to the 1945 Yalta Conference. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov rejected that comparison, noting that nothing agreed in Shenzhen could be enforced on others.
On Thursday, the questions are modest but telling: whether the leaders take even a first step toward a nuclear framework, and whether Ukraine creeps into a conversation Washington has promised to avoid.
The White House confirmed on Friday that the presidents of the United States, China and Russia plan to sit down together on Thursday, on the sidelines of next week's Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Shenzhen, China's technology hub. No gathering of the leaders of the world's three biggest nuclear powers has happened before. Analysts quoted in the reporting say it will carry more symbolism than substance.
The backdrop is awkward for all three. Donald Trump has warmed to Xi Jinping since the two sides reached a truce last year in their short-lived trade war, despite disagreements over the U.S. war with Iran and other frictions. He has also worked on his relationship with Vladimir Putin, even though Putin has kept fighting in Ukraine for nearly five years and Moscow has deepened its military, intelligence and diplomatic ties with Iran.
Trump says the meeting is a chance to discuss the Iran war and to pursue a three-way agreement on nuclear stockpiles. A senior U.S. official, briefing reporters anonymously, said he will raise Iran with both men but steer clear of Ukraine. The official described the session as the start of what he hoped would be a productive conversation on nuclear disarmament, and said no agreements are expected to be announced.
The arms-control gap is real. The last nuclear pact between Washington and Moscow, New START, expired in February, lifting caps on the two largest arsenals for the first time in more than fifty years. Russia asked to extend it another year; Trump refused and called for a new, improved and modernized deal that includes China. But the Pentagon estimates China holds more than 600 warheads, against more than 5,000 each for the U.S. and Russia, and Beijing has shown little appetite for a pact. U.S. officials concede the topic is hard for China, yet the official said the meeting was a moment for Beijing to step up to the adult table.
Each capital has its own calculation. Xi, by agreeing to host, may see a chance to show off China's growing clout. The Kremlin gets a coveted opportunity to pose as a superpower equal to Washington and Beijing. Edgard Kagan, a former U.S. ambassador to Malaysia now at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said Putin's aim was to signal a desire to talk with Trump and Xi in a way that suggests they are making decisions on Ukraine, something Ukrainians and Europeans dislike. Beijing was reportedly the least certain about the summit's value.
The meeting could overshadow APEC itself, which brings 21 economies to Shenzhen, a city that grew from a small fishing village into a global technology and economic center within a few decades. Hoo Tiang Boon, a professor of Chinese foreign policy at Nanyang Technological University, said a trilateral runs counter to China's support for multilateralism and could undercut its effort to present itself as a defender of free trade. It might also blur China's argument that Cold War thinking in the West helped cause the Ukraine war, and its criticism that the U.S. has undermined international institutions and treaties in its conduct of the Iran war.
The leaders know one another. Putin and Xi have met more than 40 times since Xi became president in 2013 and call each other "dear friend." Trump and Putin have met seven times, most recently in Alaska in August 2025. Trump and Xi have held eight face-to-face talks, including Xi's state visit to Washington in September. China is Russia's top trading partner, a tie that has strengthened since the 2022 invasion: it buys more Russian energy and supplies key technologies, including high-tech components for Russia's weapons industries, ignoring Western demands to stop. China officially calls itself neutral on Ukraine, while Moscow has repeatedly backed Beijing's position on Taiwan.
Trump also recently struck a diesel deal with Russia, waiving sanctions to allow the sale of millions of tons of fuel. He blames surging energy prices on Ukrainian strikes on Russian refineries, though analysts attribute the rise in crude prices mostly to the Iran war. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has worried the meeting could become a venue for discussing a Ukraine deal behind Kyiv's back. Some have compared the planning to the 1945 Yalta Conference. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov dismissed that, noting that anything agreed in Shenzhen cannot be enforced on others, and said a global order should rest on mutual benefit and respect.
What to watch Thursday is whether the talks yield even a first step toward a three-way nuclear framework, and whether Ukraine enters the conversation despite Washington's stated plan to avoid it.
Citações Notáveis
The meeting is meant to be the beginning of hopefully a conversation on nuclear disarmament, and no agreements are expected to be announced.— Senior U.S. official, speaking anonymously
A meeting between the leaders of Russia, China and the United States is extremely significant, but no one should try to impose a view of global order.— Dmitry Peskov, Kremlin spokesman
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Leia o original em The Economic Times ↗