Trump to Meet Xi and Putin for First Trilateral as White House Lowers Expectations

President Donald Trump will meet jointly with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin next week on the sidelines of the APEC summit in Shenzhen, the White House said Friday. It would be the first trilateral sit-down between the leaders of the world's three largest nuclear-armed states.

White House spokeswoman Olivia Wales said Trump will discuss "the reduction of nuclear weapons in the world," calling proliferation "very dangerous." Senior US officials said Iran may also be discussed, but Trump does not intend to raise Russia's war with Ukraine. Officials described the session as an "entry point" and "the first conversation," and said no concrete agreement is anticipated.

The last US-Russia nuclear arms treaty expired in February. China has been rapidly building its nuclear arsenal. Moscow and Beijing have yet to comment on the meeting, so their attendance is not independently confirmed.

The announcement comes as Trump has publicly dismissed the need for a deal with Iran. On Thursday, he wrote on Truth Social that the US holds billions of Iran's frozen dollars and that "those days have long since passed." He also said he told Vice President JD Vance, his lead negotiator, to focus on domestic corruption and crime instead of Iran negotiations.

The gap between the historic optics and the deliberately lowered expectations is the central fact of the announcement. A joint appearance by Trump, Xi and Putin would be unprecedented. Whether it becomes a real arms-control channel or a symbolic photo-op depends on follow-up that officials have not described.

What "reduction of nuclear weapons" means in practice remains unclear. No treaty is in force between the US and Russia, and China's arsenal is expanding. Officials have not said whether the three leaders will discuss specific numbers, timelines, or verification measures.

Excluding Ukraine from the agenda leaves open whether the war will be handled on a separate track or omitted entirely. Trump's redirection of Vance away from Iran negotiations raises similar questions about how the Iran discussion squares with the president's stated position that no deal is needed.

The meeting is planned for next week. Moscow and Beijing have not confirmed. No agreement is expected.