Putin Xi Trump meeting: first three-way talks set for 19 November in Shenzhen, Kremlin says

The Putin Xi Trump meeting is now set for this week. Russian President Vladimir Putin, Chinese President Xi Jinping and US President Donald Trump will hold a trilateral meeting in the Chinese city of Shenzhen on Thursday, 19 November, the Kremlin said. The talks will take place on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit.

Who said what

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told the Russian state news agency TASS on Saturday, 14 November, that the three sides had agreed to meet and that the meeting would be held in Shenzhen alongside the APEC summit. This year's APEC leaders' gathering runs from 18 to 19 November in Shenzhen.

Earlier this month, Trump said he expected to see Putin and Xi at the summit. China's foreign ministry said in early November that it was in contact with the parties involved but announced no agreement at the time. Beijing had not publicly confirmed the date when this report was published.

Why it matters

According to several reports, the three leaders have never before sat down together in a trilateral format. A meeting of the heads of the world's three largest military and economic powers is therefore being watched closely around the world.

What may be on the agenda

No official agenda has been published. Reports point to these topics:

• Nuclear arms control: Citing the White House, reports say Trump wants to discuss cutting nuclear weapons and preparing a new arms control agreement. The New START treaty between the US and Russia expired in February this year.
• The Iran war: Trump said in early November that he planned to discuss the war involving Iran at APEC.
• Ukraine: Putin reportedly proposed the three-way meeting in October to discuss ending the war in Ukraine. Washington and Moscow, however, have described how far Ukraine will feature on the agenda in different ways.

No separate Putin-Trump summit

Kremlin aide Yury Ushakov said earlier that preparations for the trilateral meeting had begun and that the three countries were ready in principle. He added that no separate bilateral Putin-Trump meeting in Shenzhen had been agreed. Putin and Trump last held a summit in Alaska in August 2025.

Ukraine's position

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said such meetings could happen, but that Ukraine must be involved if its future is being discussed.

Timeline

• October 2026: Putin reportedly proposes the trilateral format.
• Early November: China says contacts are under way; Trump says he hopes to meet both leaders.
• 14 November: Peskov announces the date and venue.
• 18-19 November: APEC summit in Shenzhen.
• 19 November: Trilateral meeting of Putin, Xi and Trump.

What happens next

It is not yet clear whether the meeting will produce any agreement. More details on its format and timing are expected once China announces the official programme. Statements from the three governments after the talks will show how much progress, if any, was made.

Sources

The facts in this report were cross-checked with reports from Anadolu Agency, TASS, Yahoo News (European Pravda) and HNGN.