Nuclear stakes high as Trump, XI, and Putin prepare to meet

The White House announced that US President Donald Trump, Chinese President Xi Jinping, and Russian President Vladimir Putin will hold an unprecedented three-way summit in Shenzhen next week.

The leaders will gather on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit, marking a pivotal moment in global diplomacy inside China’s bustling technology hub.

This historic meeting occurs nine months after the New START treaty expired in February, leaving Washington and Moscow without nuclear limits for the first time in over fifty years.

Trump rejected a one-year Russian extension for the treaty, demanding instead a modernized nuclear arms deal that explicitly brings Beijing to the negotiating table.

While Russia possesses the most nuclear warheads globally, followed closely by the United States and China, senior administration officials warn that expectations for an immediate breakthrough remain low.

A senior Trump official told Reuters that the administration views this trilateral gathering merely as the opening step in a much longer, complex conversation.

Beyond nuclear stockpiles, Trump plans to address the ongoing Iran conflict with Xi and Putin while deliberately steering clear of Russia’s grinding war in Ukraine.

Tech billionaire Elon Musk will accompany Trump on the China trip, though officials confirmed he will not attend the high-stakes leaders’ meeting, nor will Trump meet Kim Jong Un.

Analysts have compared the Shenzhen gathering to the 1945 Yalta Conference, where Allied leaders famously redrew the post-war global order behind closed doors.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov dismissed the historical parallel as inaccurate, yet he still acknowledged the upcoming three-way talks as an extremely significant geopolitical event.

Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy expressed deep concern that the three superpowers might negotiate a backroom deal regarding Ukraine without Kyiv’s direct involvement.

Despite past trade friction and ongoing global conflicts, Trump continues pursuing closer diplomatic ties with both Moscow and Beijing as Washington seeks broader international stability.