Trump, Xi and Putin to Hold Unprecedented Three-Way Summit of Nuclear Powers in Shenzhen

Shenzhen: The leaders of the United States, China and Russia will meet Thursday on the sidelines of next week’s Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Shenzhen, the White House confirmed Friday. It will be the first gathering of the heads of the world’s three biggest nuclear powers.

A senior U.S. official, who briefed reporters on condition of anonymity, said no agreements are expected and called the session the “beginning of hopefully a conversation” on nuclear disarmament.

The talks come after New START, the last U.S.-Russia arms control treaty, expired in February, lifting limits on the two largest arsenals for the first time in more than 50 years. Trump turned down a Russian proposal to extend it by a year and demanded a “new, improved and modernized” agreement that includes China.

Beijing has little incentive to agree. The Pentagon estimates its arsenal at more than 600 warheads, compared with more than 5,000 each for Washington and Moscow. The U.S. official said China should “step up ... to the adult table.”

Analysts see different motives for each leader. Xi gets to display China’s growing influence, while Putin gains a chance to be seen as an equal of Washington and Beijing. Former U.S. ambassador Edgard Kagan told Associated Press that Putin wants to signal that the leaders are “making decisions on Ukraine,” a prospect Kyiv and European capitals dislike. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has voiced concern that a deal could be discussed behind Ukraine’s back.

Xi and Putin have met more than 40 times since 2013, Trump and Putin seven times, most recently in Alaska in August 2025, and Trump and Xi eight times.