The leaders of the United States, China and Russia will meet for an unprecedented trilateral summit on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Shenzhen, China, next week, according to the White House. The meeting will bring together President Donald Trump, Chinese President Xi Jinping, and Russian President Vladimir Putin for the first joint talks between the three countries’ heads of state, with nuclear non-proliferation at the top of the agenda.
White House spokeswoman Olivia Wales confirmed to reporters that President Trump will arrive in Shenzhen late Wednesday for the two-day summit of the 21-member APEC group. The trilateral meeting is set for Thursday, following bilateral talks between Trump and Xi. “The president has made it clear that, among other topics, he will discuss the reduction of nuclear weapons in the world, whose proliferation President Trump believes is very dangerous,” Wales said.
Senior US officials have cautioned that expectations for major breakthroughs are low, describing the meeting as a starting point rather than a venue for reaching new agreements. “We do not expect to get to any kind of agreement,” a senior US official told reporters, characterizing the summit as “the entry point, the first conversation, certainly at the leader level, between these countries.”
The talks are expected to focus on the risks posed by the expansion of nuclear arsenals and the possibility of future arms control arrangements. The White House has signaled that the US will press China to play a more active role in global nuclear stability, with one official saying the meeting is a moment for China to “step up… to the adult table” on a matter of international importance.
In addition to nuclear issues, the leaders are also expected to discuss ongoing conflicts, including the war in Iran and North Korea’s nuclear program. According to US officials cited by multiple outlets, the Ukraine conflict is not expected to be on the agenda for these talks.
The trilateral summit comes at a time of heightened tensions and shifting alliances among the world’s major powers. The last nuclear arms treaty between the US and Russia expired in February, leaving the world’s two largest nuclear arsenals without formal limits for the first time in decades. Meanwhile, China has been rapidly expanding its own nuclear stockpile, raising concerns in Washington and Moscow about a new era of strategic competition.
President Trump’s meeting with Xi and Putin follows a series of diplomatic efforts to address nuclear risks and regional conflicts. Trump and Xi have met several times since Trump returned to office in 2025, and US envoys have held repeated talks with Russian officials on security issues. The Shenzhen summit is seen as an opportunity for direct leader-level engagement on some of the world’s most urgent security challenges.
Analysts say the meeting’s symbolic value may outweigh its immediate diplomatic impact, as it marks the first time the leaders of the US, China and Russia have sat down together to discuss nuclear issues. The summit is also expected to draw attention away from the broader APEC agenda, as the world watches for signs of progress—or further discord—among the nuclear powers.
Why it matters
This trilateral meeting represents a rare moment of direct engagement between the leaders of the world’s three largest nuclear-armed states. With the expiration of the last US-Russia arms control treaty earlier this year and China’s expanding nuclear arsenal, the absence of formal agreements has increased global concerns about an unchecked arms race. The summit in Shenzhen brings all three powers to the table for the first time, signaling the start of a new phase in nuclear diplomacy.
For China, the talks are a test of its willingness to assume greater responsibility in global security, as highlighted by US officials urging Beijing to “step up” on nuclear issues. For the US and Russia, the meeting offers a chance to address the vacuum left by the lapse of previous treaties and to seek new frameworks that could include China for the first time. The inclusion of Iran and North Korea in the discussions underscores the broader security stakes and the interconnectedness of regional conflicts with global nuclear stability.
Observers will be watching closely for any shift in positions or commitments from the three leaders, as even incremental progress could lay the groundwork for future negotiations. The outcome of the Shenzhen summit may influence not only the trajectory of nuclear arms control, but also the broader balance of power among the world’s leading states.
The image accompanying this article is an AI-generated illustrative depiction inspired by the actual scene of the event.
