Putin, Xi and Trump Could Meet at APEC Summit in China Next Month
Thestandard · 2 SOURCESabout 3 hours ago2 MIN
Summary
The Russian, Chinese, and US presidents could potentially meet at an Asia-Pacific summit in China next month, with the Kremlin confirming that discussions about a hypothetical three-way meeting have taken place. US President Donald Trump expressed openness to the proposed summit, suggesting nuclear weapons and denuclearisation could be on the agenda, while the Kremlin stressed that no concrete proposals or agenda have been finalized. The potential meeting comes amid ongoing conflict in Ukraine, where a Russian ballistic missile strike hit a Kyiv metro station on Monday, and Ukrainian officials have warned that any talks excluding Kyiv would only encourage further aggression.
Key Points
- The Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit is scheduled to be held in Shenzhen on November 18-19, 2026, with all three countries as members .
- Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stated that while the topic of a potential meeting has been mentioned, no substantive proposals, agreements, or agenda have been discussed by any party .
- Trump told reporters outside the White House that he proposed the three-way meeting himself and would discuss nuclear weapons and denuclearisation with Xi and Putin .
- Trump said he would pursue talks if they could help end the war in Ukraine, stating he would do so "whether somebody's there or not" .
- Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiga warned that a meeting between Russia, China, and the US without Ukraine would "only encourage" further aggression .
Why It Matters
The potential trilateral summit represents an unprecedented diplomatic format that could reshape the landscape of peace negotiations regarding the Ukraine conflict, though the exclusion of Kyiv raises serious questions about the legitimacy of any resulting agreements. The inclusion of nuclear weapons on the proposed agenda signals a possible revival of arms control discussions between the world's three largest nuclear powers. For Hong Kong, any resolution of global geopolitical tensions could affect regional stability and the city's role as an international financial centre.
The potential trilateral summit represents an unprecedented diplomatic format that could reshape the landscape of peace negotiations regarding the Ukraine conflict, though the exclusion of Kyiv raises serious questions about the legitimacy of any resulting agreements. The inclusion of nuclear weapons on the proposed agenda signals a possible revival of arms control discussions between the world's three largest nuclear powers. For Hong Kong, any resolution of global geopolitical tensions could affect regional stability and the city's role as an international financial centre.