US President Donald Trump plans to hold a trilateral meeting with Russian leader Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping in Shenzhen, China, on 19 November. The talks are due to take place on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit. The White House has confirmed that preparations for the meeting are underway and has identified nuclear arms reduction as the main topic. At the same time, Moscow is keen to raise the issue of the war against Ukraine, although Washington and Beijing are in no hurry to include it on the agenda.
- Trump plans to meet with Putin and Xi Jinping on 19 November in China.
- Washington describes the reduction of global nuclear arsenals as the main topic of the talks.
- Moscow is keen to discuss Ukraine, but the US has no plans to raise the issue.
- The final format of the meeting and the agenda are still being agreed upon by diplomats from the three countries.
What Trump, Putin and Xi Jinping will discuss
According to the White House spokesperson Olivia Wails, the US President intends to raise the issue of reducing global nuclear arsenals. Trump considers the proliferation of nuclear weapons to be a serious threat and wishes to involve China in relevant agreements with the US and Russia.
Another topic for discussion could be war with Iran. Washington hopes to discuss ways of easing tensions, but no specific agreements have been reached as yet. According to Reuters, US officials do not expect a nuclear arms agreement to be signed following the meeting.
Despite the announced date, the final format of the talks and the detailed agenda are still being finalised. The Chinese side has confirmed diplomatic contacts regarding the organisation of the meeting, but has not disclosed any details.
Why the issue of Ukraine may be left out of the negotiations
Putin sees the forthcoming meeting as an opportunity to secure an end to the war against Ukraine on terms favourable to Moscow. The Russian side is keen to discuss this issue directly with Washington and Beijing.
However, the White House has stated that the trilateral format is not an appropriate forum for negotiations on Ukraine. An American official said that Trump is unlikely to raise the issue of the Russian-Ukrainian war during the joint meeting.
China is also opposed to including the Ukrainian issue on the agenda. According to the agency’s sources, Beijing is cautious about negotiations that might give the impression that major powers are reaching agreements on the future of other countries.
Ukrmedia warns of the risk of another Yalta
The prospect of a trilateral meeting has already raised concerns in a number of countries. Diplomats fear that talks between the US, Russia and China could turn into an attempt to agree on the division of spheres of influence without the involvement of the countries whose interests would be affected by such decisions.
Ukrmedia compares these concerns with The Yalta Conference of 1945, when the leaders of the US, the UK and the USSR were discussing the post-war order in Europe.
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy had previously warned against a repeat of a similar scenario and emphasised that decisions concerning other states should not be taken without their involvement.
The US is seeking to reduce its nuclear arsenals, China is unwilling to make similar commitments, whilst Russia is attempting to use the negotiations to advance its own position on Ukraine.
