Trump, Xi and Putin plan three-way Shenzhen talks on 19 November

Donald Trump, Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin are scheduled to meet in Shenzhen on 19 November for three-way talks on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit, according to an AFP report quoting the White House.

The announcement was made in Washington on 13 November. The report said White House spokeswoman Olivia Wales told reporters that Trump intended to discuss reducing nuclear weapons, among other subjects. The meeting remains a future diplomatic engagement; no agreement has been announced.

A senior U.S. official, speaking anonymously to reporters, said Iran was also expected to be discussed. Ukraine was not expected on the agenda because Washington was pursuing a separate negotiating track with Kyiv and Moscow, the official said.

Trump is also scheduled to hold a bilateral working lunch and meeting with Xi on 19 November. A separate one-to-one meeting with Putin was not scheduled, according to the officials cited in the report.

The officials said Elon Musk would accompany Trump on the China trip but would not join the three-leader meeting. Trump was expected to leave Washington on 16 November and visit the Philippines before travelling to Shenzhen.

The image accompanying this article is a photograph of Alexey Sergienko’s painting Shenzhen 26, displayed in St Petersburg on 12 November. It depicts an imagined gathering and is not a photograph of the planned talks.