Washington: The leaders of the United States, China and Russia are set to meet on one platform, the White House has officially announced. President Donald Trump, Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin are expected to hold talks on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Shenzhen, China. If it goes ahead, it will be the first trilateral meeting among the three leaders.
Agenda
White House spokesperson Olivia Wales said Trump will focus mainly on global nuclear disarmament, the situation in Iran and international security issues. She said Trump considers the spread of nuclear weapons dangerous.
Senior US officials cautioned that a final agreement is unlikely at the meeting, describing it as only a first step toward high-level talks among the three countries. They added that Trump does not intend to raise the Russia-Ukraine war.
Trump’s Asia itinerary
Trump will first travel to Manila to attend the ASEAN summit, where he will hold a bilateral meeting with Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. He will then proceed to Shenzhen, where he will meet Xi separately and attend a working lunch before the trilateral meeting with Putin.
White House sources said no separate one-on-one meeting between Trump and Putin is scheduled.
Musk to travel with Trump
Tesla chief Elon Musk will accompany Trump to China, but officials said he will not take part in the key meeting with Xi and Putin. Although no major agreements are expected immediately, the appearance of the three leaders on the same platform is being seen as a significant development in global politics.