Trump to Hold First Trilateral Meeting With Putin and Xi in Shenzhen Next Week, White House Says

admin · November 14, 2026 · 6 min read

Flags of the United States, China and Russia in front of the Shenzhen skyline ahead of the first trilateral meeting of Presidents Trump, Putin and Xi

President Donald Trump will sit down with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping next week in Shenzhen, China, for what the White House says will be the first-ever trilateral meeting of the leaders of the United States, Russia and China.

The White House announced the meeting on Friday, November 13. It will take place on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit, with nuclear weapons reduction at the top of the agenda.

A first at the leader level

The three-way session will conclude Trump’s visit to China. White House Assistant Press Secretary Olivia Wales told reporters the president intends to use the meeting to press for a reduction in nuclear arsenals.

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

A senior U.S. official, speaking on condition of anonymity, cautioned against expecting an immediate breakthrough. Washington views the session as an opening step rather than a negotiation that will produce a deal.

“I would characterize this as the entry point, the first conversation, certainly at the leader level between these countries,” the official said.

U.S. officials also voiced concern about the rapid expansion of China’s nuclear arsenal and urged Beijing to take a more active role in global arms control discussions. The last U.S.-Russia nuclear arms control framework expired in February, and Washington is seeking a modernized arrangement that ultimately brings China into the fold.

Trump is also expected to raise developments involving Iran during the trilateral meeting. Ukraine, however, will not be on the agenda. U.S. officials said Washington intends to address the war in Ukraine through its separate diplomatic discussions with Moscow, and no separate bilateral meeting between Trump and Putin is planned.

The trip: Manila first, then Shenzhen

Trump will depart Washington on Monday for Manila, where he is scheduled to take part in a Quad leaders’ meeting and the U.S.-Association of Southeast Asian Nations Special Summit. During the Philippine visit, he is also expected to attend a welcome ceremony hosted by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and sign a trade agreement with Thailand.

The president will then travel to Shenzhen on Wednesday for the APEC meetings. On Thursday afternoon, he will hold a bilateral meeting with Xi, followed by a working lunch, before concluding his China visit with the trilateral session.

The bilateral meeting with Xi will be the fourth between the two leaders since Trump’s return to power. According to senior U.S. officials, it will focus largely on reviewing the implementation of existing trade agreements between Washington and Beijing.

One official described the session as “an implementation check-in, a stocktaking,” adding that no immediate announcement on tariff adjustments was expected.

Rare earth minerals are also expected to figure prominently in the discussions. Washington has expressed dissatisfaction with the pace and volume of Chinese exports of the materials.

“We’re not getting them at the pace and at the level that we would like,” the official said. The official explained that those concerns prompted Washington to extend the Busan agreement for only two months instead of six, and Trump is expected to raise the matter directly with Xi.

Why this matters

A meeting of the three leaders has no precedent. The United States, Russia and China are the world’s largest nuclear powers, and their arms control architecture has been fraying for years. Bringing all three leaders into the same room — even for a first conversation with no deal expected — marks a new channel at a moment of deep tension between Washington and Beijing and between Washington and Moscow.

The setting matters too. The meeting takes place against the backdrop of the APEC summit in Shenzhen, a city that has become a symbol of China’s economic rise, and it follows a week in which U.S.-China tensions have been sharpened by the scandal surrounding former Nvidia chief executive Jensen Huang. U.S. officials said the allegations involving the chipmaker were unlikely to affect the president’s visit.

“We do not negotiate American export controls,” one official emphasized.

Tesla and SpaceX chief executive Elon Musk is also expected to accompany Trump during portions of his China visit, although he will not participate in official government meetings.

Latest developments

The White House announcement came on Friday, and details of the schedule were still being finalized by officials briefing reporters. The trilateral meeting is scheduled for Thursday, after Trump’s bilateral session with Xi.

The White House has sought to temper expectations, emphasizing that the session will open a channel among the leaders rather than settle the issues on the table. Senior officials said the meeting would not negotiate U.S. export controls with China and that ongoing national-security investigations would not be broached.

What comes next will depend on whether the first conversation leads to a second. For now, the administration is presenting the Shenzhen session as the start of a process — one that could, over time, reshape how the three nuclear powers talk about arms control.

Frequently Asked Questions

When and where is the trilateral meeting?

The meeting is scheduled for Thursday of next week in Shenzhen, China, on the sidelines of the APEC summit. It will be the first-ever trilateral meeting of the leaders of the United States, Russia and China.

What is on the agenda?

Nuclear weapons reduction is the central topic, along with developments involving Iran. Ukraine will not be discussed; Washington says it is handling that conflict through separate diplomatic channels with Moscow.

Will the meeting produce an agreement?

U.S. officials do not expect an immediate deal. A senior official described the session as “the entry point, the first conversation” at leader level between the three countries.

What else is on Trump’s Asia trip?

Trump departs Washington on Monday for Manila, where he will attend a Quad leaders’ meeting and the U.S.-ASEAN Special Summit, then travels to Shenzhen on Wednesday. He meets Xi bilaterally on Thursday afternoon before the trilateral session.

President Donald Trump, Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping will meet in Shenzhen next week for a first-of-its-kind trilateral summit focused on nuclear arms reduction — a conversation the White House says is only the beginning.