Trump, Putin and Xi to Meet in Shenzhen on 19 November
The leaders of the three largest nuclear powers on Earth will sit down together for the first time next week. President Donald Trump will meet Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping in Shenzhen, China, on Thursday 19 November, on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit — a meeting the White House confirmed on Friday 13 November and the Kremlin confirmed a day later.
It is, by every account so far, a first: no trilateral meeting of the American, Russian and Chinese leaders has ever taken place. The stated business is the reduction of nuclear weapons, at a moment when the last treaty limiting the American and Russian arsenals has already expired. The White House has been careful to lower expectations — no deal is expected to come out of the room — but the photograph alone will be one of the defining images of 2026.
What Was Announced
The meeting was first reported on Friday 13 November. Reuters, citing the New York Post, reported that the three leaders would meet on Thursday 19 November on the sidelines of the annual APEC conference in Shenzhen. The Hill reported the same day that it would be the first-ever trilateral meeting involving the three leaders. The White House then confirmed that a US–China–Russia trilateral meeting is planned on the APEC sidelines, a confirmation also carried by the South China Morning Post, Yonhap and Bernama-Anadolu.
On Saturday 14 November, the Kremlin confirmed the meeting as well. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told the TASS news agency that an agreement had been reached to hold the trilateral meeting on 19 November in Shenzhen as part of the APEC summit, according to reporting by Anadolu Agency and Reuters, citing RIA. Peskov's remarks set out no agenda of their own, so the meeting's stated business still rests on Friday's White House account.
The APEC leaders' gathering itself takes place on 18 and 19 November in Shenzhen, the southern Chinese technology hub near Hong Kong. Trump is also scheduled to hold separate bilateral talks with Xi on 19 November, in addition to the three-way session.
The idea did not appear out of nowhere. Trump said on 8 November that he expects to meet Xi and Putin on the sidelines of the APEC summit, naming denuclearisation and the war in Iran as topics, according to Nikkei Asia, citing Reuters. The Kremlin said on 21 October that a trilateral was "being prepared", as reported by Arab News. NBC News reported that Beijing has acknowledged for the first time that it is discussing the idea. What changed on 13–14 November is that the meeting went from an expectation to a confirmed date, confirmed by two of the three capitals.
The Agenda: Nuclear Arms and Iran
White House spokeswoman Olivia Wales told reporters that the president will discuss the reduction of nuclear weapons, calling proliferation very dangerous. The White House also said the US war with Iran is on the agenda, and that Trump does not plan to discuss Ukraine at the meeting. A US official added, according to reports, that North Korea could also be discussed.
That framing matters because the three countries do not agree on what the meeting is for. Trump has named denuclearisation and an end to the war in Iran as the working agenda. Putin, according to the Wall Street Journal as cited by Ukrinform, has proposed using the meeting to discuss a settlement in Ukraine — a topic the White House has said is not on the agenda. Xi has said nothing publicly about the agenda. A Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson, Mao Ning, has said it is not realistic to ask China to join trilateral nuclear disarmament talks at this stage, and the Chinese readout of the September meeting between Trump and Xi in Washington did not mention trilateral arms talks at all, even though the White House fact sheet said Trump had advocated them.
The result is a meeting whose guest list is agreed but whose agenda is, in public at least, three different lists. That is not unusual for a first meeting of this kind — and it is one reason Washington is managing expectations so carefully.
Why Now: The New START Gap
The arms-control context is stark. The last US–Russia nuclear pact, New START, expired in February 2026, removing the caps on the two largest nuclear arsenals for the first time in more than half a century. For the first time since the early 1970s, there is no binding treaty limiting how many deployed strategic nuclear weapons the United States and Russia may hold.
That gap is the backdrop to the Shenzhen meeting. The United States and Russia negotiated arms limits bilaterally for decades, but China — now the world's third major nuclear power, with an arsenal that has grown steadily — has never been part of a nuclear arms treaty. Washington's argument is that any serious conversation about limiting nuclear weapons now has to include Beijing. Beijing's position, as stated by its foreign ministry, is that it is not realistic to ask China to join trilateral disarmament talks at this stage, given that its arsenal remains far smaller than the American and Russian ones.
The Shenzhen meeting does not resolve that disagreement. What it does is put the three leaders in one room, for the first time, with the disagreement on the table. Even the White House's own framing — a discussion rather than a negotiation — reflects that reality.
What Each Side Wants
For Trump, the meeting is the centrepiece of a China trip that also includes his third bilateral meeting with Xi this year. He arrives wanting two headlines: a denuclearisation process under way, and progress on Iran. He has also opened the door to three-way arms-control talks in October, according to Reuters reporting from 9 November 2026.
For Putin, the meeting is a return to the centre of the world stage alongside the American and Chinese presidents, and a chance — from Moscow's side — to raise Ukraine, even though Washington says that topic is off the agenda. The Kremlin disclosed on 21 October that organisational work on such a meeting was already under way, following talks between Putin and US envoy Steve Witkoff in St Petersburg.
For Xi, the meeting takes place on home ground, in Shenzhen, during an APEC summit China is hosting. Beijing has been the most cautious of the three capitals about the format and the agenda, and has said nothing publicly about what it expects from the session. That caution is itself informative: China has acknowledged the idea is being discussed, but has not endorsed the trilateral arms-control framing Washington has put on it.
There is also a trade backdrop that will be in the room even if it is not on the agenda. The truce struck by Trump and Xi at Busan in October 2025 caps second-term US tariffs on Chinese goods at roughly 20 percent; it was due to lapse on 10 November this year and was extended by two months, to 10 January 2027, by Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, according to Reuters reporting of 23 September 2026. Shenzhen is the last comfortable window to roll that truce over before it expires.
What Not to Expect
Washington has played down expectations of an immediate breakthrough. "We do not expect to get to any kind of agreement," a senior US official told reporters, according to Reuters and the Associated Press. The administration views the discussion as an opportunity to begin engagement rather than conclude a comprehensive nuclear agreement.
That is the honest reading of the week ahead. A first meeting between three leaders who have never met in this format, with different agendas and no negotiated text behind them, is unlikely to produce a signed document. What it can produce is a process: envoys assigned, a working group named, a commitment to keep talking — and the photograph that says the conversation has begun.
The meeting is scheduled for Thursday 19 November. The world will know by Friday whether the three leaders left the room with anything more than that.
Timeline
- 21 October 2026: the Kremlin says organisational work on a trilateral meeting is under way, after talks between Putin and US envoy Steve Witkoff in St Petersburg.
- 4 November 2026: Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning says it is not realistic to ask China to join trilateral nuclear disarmament talks at this stage; Beijing acknowledges the meeting idea is being discussed.
- 8 November 2026: Trump says he expects to meet Xi and Putin on the APEC sidelines in Shenzhen on 18–19 November, naming denuclearisation and the war in Iran as topics.
- 13 November 2026: Reuters, citing the New York Post, reports the meeting is set for Thursday 19 November; The Hill calls it the first-ever trilateral of the three leaders; the White House confirms the meeting and its agenda (nuclear arms reduction and Iran; Ukraine not on the agenda).
- 14 November 2026: the Kremlin confirms the meeting through spokesman Dmitry Peskov, speaking to TASS.
- 18–19 November 2026: the APEC leaders' summit takes place in Shenzhen.
- 19 November 2026: the trilateral meeting is scheduled; Trump also holds separate talks with Xi the same day.
Frequently Asked Questions
When and where will Trump, Putin and Xi meet?
The three leaders are scheduled to meet on Thursday, 19 November 2026, in Shenzhen, China, on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit, which runs on 18–19 November.
Has there ever been a trilateral meeting of the US, Russian and Chinese leaders before?
No. According to reporting by The Hill on 13 November 2026, this would be the first-ever trilateral meeting involving the leaders of the United States, Russia and China in a single setting.
What is on the agenda for the Shenzhen meeting?
The White House said President Trump will discuss the reduction of nuclear weapons with Presidents Putin and Xi, and that the US war with Iran is also on the agenda. The White House said Trump does not plan to discuss Ukraine at the meeting.
What is the New START treaty and why does it matter here?
New START was the last major nuclear arms pact between the United States and Russia. It expired in February 2026, removing the caps on the two largest nuclear arsenals for the first time in more than half a century. That is why the Shenzhen meeting's arms-control discussion matters.
Will the three leaders reach an agreement in Shenzhen?
The White House has played down expectations. A senior US official told reporters, according to Reuters and the Associated Press: "We do not expect to get to any kind of agreement." The administration views the meeting as a chance to begin engagement rather than conclude a deal.
Did all three governments confirm the meeting?
The White House confirmed the meeting on Friday, 13 November 2026, and the Kremlin confirmed it on Saturday, 14 November, through spokesman Dmitry Peskov speaking to the TASS news agency. Beijing has acknowledged that the idea is being discussed.
Will Trump also meet Xi separately?
Yes. Trump is scheduled to hold separate bilateral talks with Xi Jinping on 19 November as well, in addition to the three-way meeting.
Why is China part of nuclear arms talks now?
The United States and Russia have long negotiated arms limits between themselves, but China is now the world's third major nuclear power and its arsenal has grown. Washington wants a three-way conversation; a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson has said it is not realistic to ask China to join trilateral nuclear disarmament talks at this stage.
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Sources
- The Library Estate — Trump, Putin and Xi to Hold First-Ever Trilateral Meeting on APEC Sidelines in Shenzhen — the 13 November announcement, the 19 November date, the White House confirmation and the nuclear-arms agenda.
- Kilambi News — White House confirms US, China and Russia leaders meet at APEC — the Kremlin confirmation of 14 November (Peskov to TASS), the agenda and the New START context.
- The Zimbabwe Mail — Trump, Putin and Xi to Meet in Shenzhen for Nuclear Arms Talks — the 19 November date, the White House and Kremlin confirmations, the "no agreement expected" line and the separate Trump–Xi talks.
- Intelligence Report — Trump Xi Putin Summit: What a Shenzhen Meeting Could Actually Change — Trump's 8 November remarks, the Kremlin's 21 October disclosure and Beijing's position on trilateral talks.
This article was published on 15 November 2026, before the meeting takes place. Details such as the exact time and format may change; the meeting is scheduled for Thursday 19 November 2026.