Trump to hold trilateral summit with Putin and Xi in China

President Donald Trump will hold a trilateral summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping on Thursday, November 19, 2026. The meeting is scheduled to take place in Shenzhen, China, on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit. The APEC summit is hosted on November 18 and 19, 2026.

The White House announced the arrangements for the high-level meeting. White House Spokesperson Olivia Wells said that President Donald Trump stated that reducing global nuclear weapons is a priority as proliferation is extremely dangerous. While the meeting aims to address global security, the United States administration does not expect to reach a formal agreement on nuclear weapons during this specific gathering. Instead, officials view the summit as a potential starting point for broader arms control talks.

Nuclear arms and regional security

President Donald Trump intends to propose discussions regarding the reduction of global nuclear arsenals during the meeting. This proposal follows the expiration of the New START treaty between the United States and Russia in February 2026. The New START treaty previously served to cap the strategic arsenals held by the United States and Russia. Currently, the United States and Russia each hold an estimated 5,000 or more nuclear warheads, while China holds an estimated 500 nuclear warheads.

The discussions are expected to include the war in Iran. However, the United States does not intend to include the war in Ukraine on the trilateral agenda. While some observers compare the potential meeting to the 1945 Yalta Conference, the specific agenda and format remain subjects of varying reports. Some media outlets report that preparations have not yet resulted in an agreement on the agenda, while other reports present the meeting as an announced arrangement.

Bilateral meetings and participants

President Donald Trump will hold a bilateral meeting and a working lunch with President Xi Jinping on Thursday. This event marks the fourth meeting between the two leaders since President Donald Trump returned to office last year. President Donald Trump is not scheduled to hold a separate bilateral meeting with President Vladimir Putin during the summit.

Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, will accompany President Donald Trump to China. However, Elon Musk will not participate in the meeting with President Xi Jinping and President Vladimir Putin. The Kremlin confirmed that Moscow, Washington, and Beijing have been conducting consultations regarding the arrangements and the agenda for the upcoming meeting.

Glossary

• Shenzhen — Shenzhen is a location in China. It serves as the host city for the Conference on International Exchange of Professionals (CIEP).
• Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) — Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) is an organization that includes economies such as Canada, Chile, Mexico, Peru, and the United States. It operates within the Asia-Pacific region, which is a major geopolitical and economic region adjoining the western Pacific Ocean.
• New START treaty — The New START treaty is an agreement between the United States and Russia. It serves to limit the number of long-range nuclear warheads held by both nations.
• strategic arsenals — Strategic arsenals are collections of weapons, such as ballistic missiles, used by states. These arsenals are subject to caps under agreements like the New START treaty.