Trump, Xi, and Putin set for high-stakes China summit next week

In a rare diplomatic moment that will draw global scrutiny, Donald Trump, Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping are set to convene the first-ever three-way meeting of the leaders of the United States, Russia and China, the White House said, announcing a summit in Shenzhen in China next week.

Mr Trump plans to use the trilateral talks on Thursday to press for reductions in nuclear arsenals and is also expected to raise the war in Iran.

Russia’s war with Ukraine, however, is not expected to be on the agenda, according to US officials.

The three leaders will meet on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in the southern Chinese city, White House spokeswoman Olivia Wales told reporters.

China’s President Xi Jinping and Russia’s President Vladimir Putin in Beijing in May 2026

“The president has made it clear that, among other topics, he will discuss the reduction of nuclear weapons in the world. This proliferation, President Trump believes, is very dangerous,” Ms Wales said.

US officials said one of the major conflicts shaping Mr Trump’s second term will be discussed in the room — but the other will not.

“I think the president does intend to talk about Iran in the trilateral meeting with Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin,” a senior US official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told reporters.

The same official said Washington is pursuing what was described as a “whole other track” with Kyiv and Moscow focused on ending the war in Ukraine, pointing to recent contacts between US envoys and both Mr Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner met with Mr Zelensky on the sidelines of the European Political Community Summit in Dublin after holding talks with President Putin in Moscow.

“China is not really a part of that track, so it doesn’t seem appropriate to have the Ukraine discussion there,” the official added.

Officials also said Mr Trump is not expected to meet North Korean leader Kim Jong Un during the Asia trip.

Elon Musk, the Tesla and SpaceX boss, will travel with Mr Trump to China but will not take part in the leaders’ meeting, officials said.

Separately, Mr Trump is scheduled to attend a working lunch and then sit down with President Xi on Thursday, marking their fourth meeting since Mr Trump returned to office last year.

He is not scheduled to hold a separate one-on-one meeting with the Russian leader.

US officials said another high-profile issue — Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang’s resignation over an affair with an alleged Chinese spy — is not expected to be raised in Mr Trump’s meetings with President Xi.

“The situation with Nvidia should not really have any bearing on the trip,” a US senior official said.

The United States also does not intend to discuss export controls on sensitive chip technology, which were central to an investigation involving Mr Huang’s relationships.

“We do not negotiate American export controls. These are national security matters that we develop in the administration… and we don’t expect it to figure at all in any of our conversations with the Chinese while we’re there,” officials said.

Mr Trump will depart Washington on Monday, land in the Philippines on Tuesday for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations summit, and then travel on to Shenzhen.