Beijing has confirmed for the first time that it is discussing a historic meeting between Chinese leader Xi Jinping, US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin — a three-way summit that, if it happens, would be the first of its kind.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning told reporters in Beijing this week that China "is in communication with relevant parties regarding a meeting between the three heads of state." Nothing is set, and no final decision has been made, but the confirmation — the first from Beijing — puts a gathering that was only speculation a week ago firmly on the diplomatic agenda.
The meeting, if it goes ahead, would take place this month on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) leaders' summit in Shenzhen, which China is hosting on 18–19 November. The three leaders have each met the other two in bilateral talks, but they have never sat down together.
What Beijing confirmed
Mao's statement came in response to a report in the Financial Times that officials from the three countries were coordinating arrangements for a trilateral meeting. According to the newspaper, it was unclear whether officials from all three countries were speaking together or whether Beijing was holding separate talks with Washington and Moscow — and one person familiar with the talks said Washington and Moscow were pressing China to agree to a meeting.
The Kremlin confirmed the same day that work was under way. "Work is under way on organising such a meeting," Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told the Financial Times, adding that China had yet to decide whether to proceed.
Kremlin aide Yury Ushakov said Putin and US special envoy Steve Witkoff had discussed the possibility of a three-way meeting during talks in St Petersburg on 21 October. Ushakov said the idea had "garnered such intense global interest" and that none of the three sides had ruled it out. Peskov later said Putin's APEC schedule was still being drawn up.
APEC is a 21-member grouping that includes the United States, Russia and China. Beijing is hosting this year's leaders' summit in Shenzhen, in southern China. Trump is expected to travel there to meet Xi for the third time this year, as a fragile trade truce between the two countries is set to expire in January.
How the idea surfaced
The idea of a three-way meeting has been circulating for weeks. Trump has said he would be interested in meeting Xi and Putin to discuss nuclear arms controls, while Putin is focused on talking about the war in Ukraine without Kyiv at the table, according to the Associated Press.
The three leaders have been circling each other all year. Xi and Trump have met twice in 2026, most recently during Xi's visit to the White House in September. Putin visited Xi in Beijing in May, while Trump and Putin last met in person in Alaska in August 2025.
Trade tensions remain a live backdrop. In a video call on Friday, US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer urged Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng to take "concrete actions to fully implement its past commitments, particularly as they relate to agricultural purchases, rare earths, and other critical minerals," according to a statement from Greer's office.
What each leader wants from the meeting
The three capitals have different reasons for wanting — or tolerating — a trilateral photograph, and analysts say those differences are precisely why the meeting may produce little of substance.
| Leader | What they would seek | What they would avoid |
|---|---|---|
| Xi Jinping | The image of China hosting the world's three most powerful leaders, on Chinese soil | Being drawn into talks on Ukraine, Iran or arms control, or a summit seen as three powers carving up the world |
| Donald Trump | A historic first, and a forum to raise nuclear arms controls | Advisers have warned him to steer clear of Ukraine as a topic, according to former officials |
| Vladimir Putin | Standing beside the US and Chinese leaders — a diplomatic coup after years of Western isolation efforts | Any format that puts Ukraine's future on the table with Kyiv absent |
Why experts doubt it will amount to much
Analysts who follow the three relationships closely are sceptical that a meeting would produce anything substantive, even if it happens.
"I think it will happen. The question is the format and the content. China wants the image but not the costs."
That was Sun Yun, director of the China programme at the Stimson Center, speaking to the Associated Press. She said Russia would likely use the summit to nudge China and the US closer to Moscow's positions on Ukraine, while "China will have to manage Russian manipulation." China, she added, would not engage in talks on arms control or discussions about Ukraine or Iran, other than its diplomatic refrain that peace is important and wars should end.
Beijing's biggest challenge may be perception, Sun said: the summit "should not be equated to three great powers dividing up the world."
Danny Russel, a former senior State Department official now at the Asia Society Policy Institute, said Putin stood to gain the most. "Putin has the most to gain from a leaders' trilateral, and the Russians are clearly behind the push for a meeting, which would be a diplomatic coup," he said. Trump, with what Russel described as an affinity for authoritarian strongmen, "would love the meeting," though he has been warned by his advisers to steer clear of Ukraine as a topic.
Craig Singleton, senior director of the China programme at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, put it more bluntly: the meeting may amount to no more than a photo opportunity that would allow Putin to be seen next to the US and Chinese leaders. "But these photo opportunities have diminishing diplomatic returns," he said. "The spectacle may be historic without producing anything particularly consequential."
Nothing about the meeting is confirmed. Beijing says it is in communication with the relevant parties; the Kremlin says work is under way; but no date, format or agenda has been agreed, and China has not said it will proceed. Treat the summit as a possibility under discussion, not a done deal.
The Ukraine shadow
Ukraine is watching the idea warily. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned last month that the proposed summit could give Moscow "another major diplomatic advantage" and said Kyiv did not want it to turn into a new Yalta — a reference to the 1945 summit at which Soviet, US and British leaders discussed the post-war order.
"We really don't want this to turn into 'Yalta 2, 3, 4', with a redistribution of influence. Russia wants this meeting more than anyone."
Zelenskyy's concern is that a three-way meeting of the world's most powerful leaders, held without Ukraine, could be read as the great powers settling questions over Kyiv's head. That is also why, according to analysts, Beijing is wary: a summit that looks like three powers dividing the world would damage China's standing with the many countries that are not at the table.
Frequently asked questions
Has the trilateral meeting been confirmed?
No. Beijing has confirmed only that it is discussing the idea with the relevant parties, and the Kremlin says work is under way on organising it. No final decision has been made, and no date or format has been agreed.
When and where would it happen?
On the sidelines of the APEC leaders' summit in Shenzhen, China, on 18–19 November — if it happens at all. Trump is already expected to travel to Shenzhen to meet Xi separately.
Have the three leaders ever met together before?
No. Each pair has met bilaterally — Xi and Trump twice this year, Putin and Xi in Beijing in May, Trump and Putin in Alaska in August 2025 — but the three have never held a joint summit.
What would they discuss?
That is unsettled, and the three sides want different things. Trump has spoken of nuclear arms controls; Putin wants to discuss Ukraine without Kyiv present; China appears to want the symbolism of hosting, without being drawn into substantive talks on Ukraine, Iran or arms control.
Why does it matter if it is only a photo opportunity?
Because the image itself carries weight. For Putin, standing beside the US and Chinese leaders would be a diplomatic coup; for China, hosting the first-ever trilateral summit would underline its standing; and for Ukraine, a meeting held without Kyiv risks looking like the great powers deciding its fate over its head.
Key takeaways
- Beijing has confirmed for the first time that it is discussing a trilateral summit of Xi Jinping, Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin.
- The meeting would take place on the sidelines of the APEC summit in Shenzhen on 18–19 November — but nothing is decided, and China has not said it will proceed.
- The Kremlin says work is under way on organising it, and Putin discussed the idea with US envoy Steve Witkoff in St Petersburg on 21 October.
- Experts expect symbolism rather than substance: the three leaders' interests are at odds, and China wants the image without the costs.
- Ukraine's President Zelenskyy has warned against a new Yalta, saying Russia wants the meeting more than anyone.
What happens next depends on the coming days. Watch for confirmation of Putin's APEC schedule, any further statement from Beijing on whether it will proceed, and whether the White House confirms Trump's travel plans for Shenzhen. If the three leaders do sit down together on 18–19 November, it will be the first time in history — and the photograph will matter more than any communiqué.
