Trump, Xi and Putin plan first joint meeting in Shenzhen

The White House says Donald Trump, Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin plan to hold their first joint meeting as a trio during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Shenzhen, China, on Thursday, November 19. The planned talks are expected to address nuclear arms issues and Iran, but a senior U.S. official said no agreement is expected.

The meeting is set to take place on the sidelines of the APEC summit, which is scheduled for November 18-19. The White House confirmed the plans on Friday, November 13. The leaders have met in pairs before, but this would be their first meeting together in this format.

A senior U.S. official described the encounter as an opening conversation on nuclear issues, rather than a negotiating session likely to produce an accord. A White House spokesperson said Trump intends to discuss reducing nuclear weapons and considers proliferation dangerous. Officials also said the leaders plan to discuss Iran.

The last nuclear arms treaty between the United States and Russia expired in February, ending limits on the two countries’ arsenals. Trump has called for a new agreement that would include China. The planned three-country talks come as Beijing’s nuclear...