Trilateral Summit Brings Trump, Xi, and Putin Together in China to Discuss Nuclear Arms Reduction and Iran

The White House announced that a trilateral summit bringing together U.S. President Donald Trump, Chinese President Xi Jinping, and Russian President Vladimir Putin will take place next Thursday in the Chinese city of Shenzhen, on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit.

Nuclear Weapons and Iran on the Agenda

White House spokesperson Olivia Wells told the press that President Trump intends to raise the issue of reducing the number of nuclear weapons globally, emphasizing that he views nuclear proliferation as an imminent danger. A senior U.S. official, speaking on condition of anonymity, also stated that Trump plans to raise the Iranian file during this trilateral summit.

Conversely, the U.S. official ruled out discussions on the war in Ukraine during the meeting, explaining that Washington is managing an entirely separate negotiating track with both Kyiv and Moscow, and that Beijing is not a party to this track, making it inappropriate to raise the issue in this joint meeting.

Visit Itinerary and the Nvidia Fallout

Businessman Elon Musk is expected to accompany the U.S. President during his tour without participating in the trilateral meeting. Trump will also hold a bilateral luncheon with his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, marking their fourth meeting since the Republican president returned to the White House in January 2025, while the visit's schedule does not include any separate one-on-one bilateral meeting between Trump and Putin.

Meanwhile, a second U.S. official confirmed that recent developments regarding Nvidia and the resignation of Jensen Huang, amid his relationship with a woman accused of spying for China, will not affect the trip's agenda. The official stressed that U.S. restrictions on electronic chip technology exports pertain to domestic national security and are not open for negotiation with the Chinese side. Trump's tour begins with his departure from the United States on Monday, heading to the Philippines on Tuesday, before arriving in Shenzhen.