Trump-Putin-Xi Summit: US President Donald Trump, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping are set to hold their first-ever trilateral meeting in China next week. The meeting would be closely watched as it brings together the leaders of the world's three biggest nuclear powers at a time of rising global tensions. The meeting will take place on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit with nuclear weapons reduction expected to be the main focus of the discussions.
Where Will The Leaders Meet?
The historic meeting is scheduled to take place in Shenzhen, in southern China, during the APEC summit, which brings together 21 member economies. Trump is scheduled to leave for his Asia trip on Monday. Before reaching China, he will attend the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit in the Philippines on Tuesday. He is expected to arrive in Shenzhen late on Wednesday. The trilateral meeting with Putin and Xi will take place towards the end of Trump's China visit.
Earlier on Friday, White House spokeswoman Olivia Wales confirmed the plan, saying, "President Trump will conclude his visit to China with a trilateral meeting between the president of the United States, the president of the People's Republic of China, and the president of the Russian Federation."
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Key Agendas, Why Does The Meeting Matter?
The meeting is significant as the three leaders are expected to sit together in a trilateral format for the first time. According to reports, nuclear weapons and their reduction are expected to be the main topics of the meeting. As the US, China and Russia possess the world's largest nuclear arsenals, their discussions would be important for global security. The White House has already suggested that Trump wants to push for a reduction in nuclear weapons worldwide.
Wales said, "The president has made it clear that, among other topics, he will discuss the reduction of nuclear weapons in the world, whose proliferation President Trump believes is very dangerous," while speaking about Trump's visit. However, a senior American official has also said that no agreement was expected to come out of the talks, Reuters reported.
The meeting also comes at a time when the nuclear arms control agreement between the US and Russia has expired. The treaty, which expired in February, placed limits and restrictions on the world's two largest nuclear arsenals. Its expiry has left both countries without major arms control safeguards. While the United Nations has urged both countries to agree on a new framework without delay, Trump has suggested that a better agreement could be negotiated by bringing China into the process.
This is significant as China has maintained that nuclear arms reduction discussions should primarily involve the US and Russia as their nuclear stockpiles are significantly larger than that of Beijing's.
Iran War
According to the American official, Iran is among the issues that could be discussed when the three leaders meet as they all have different stands on the matter. However, the White House has so far not indicated that the leaders will reach any specific understanding on Iran during the meeting.
Despite the involvement of Russia in the proposed meeting, the Ukraine war is also not expected to be discussed. As China is not directly involved in its discussions with Russia on the Ukraine conflict, authorities believe the trilateral meeting is not the right platform. Explaining the position, a senior American official said, "We've had many meetings recently with the Russians, but China is not really a part of that track, so it doesn't seem appropriate to have the Ukraine discussion there."
Why The Meeting Matters For India?
The meeting is closely watched by India too as the three countries (the US, China and Russia) have a major influence on international security and the global balance of power. As these countries are important to India's foreign policy, developments in their relations can have implications for India's diplomatic, strategic and security interests.
Similarly, discussions about China's nuclear weapons programme are particularly significant for India, given China's importance in India's regional security calculations. While Ukraine is not expected to be discussed at the meeting, any wider improvement in US-Russia relations can have influence on global politics and other key areas.
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