Trump to meet Xi, Putin in China for nuclear arms talks; Ukraine off agenda

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(The Center Square) – As President Donald Trump heads to China next week for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation meeting, Russia could be central to his visit.

Trump is expected to join a trilateral meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin, the first time Trump and Putin have met in person since their August 2025 meeting in Alaska.

This will be the president’s second trip to China this year, following his May visit to Beijing.

The trip comes on the heels of a trilateral meeting between representatives from the U.S., Ukraine and Russia, with Jared Kushner and Special Envoy Steve Witkoff traveling to Moscow to meet with Putin.

Despite the U.S. efforts to strike a peace deal between Ukraine and Russia, which has been at war since 2022 when Russia invaded Ukraine, senior U.S. officials say the scheduled trilateral meeting in China between Trump, Xi and Putin will not include Ukraine.

The officials added that Trump and Putin aren’t expected to engage in a their own meeting during the trip.

The three nations are expected to focus on reducing global nuclear weapon inventories. A senior U.S. official described the meeting as an “entry point” for the countries to discuss their nuclear inventories, with officials noting that China’s nuclear arsenal is growing rapidly and requires “adult conversations” regarding global security.

Officials believe Russia will be more comfortable discussing arms control due to their history.

The officials underscored that Ukraine will not be on the agenda; however, Iran will likely be a topic of discussion.

Ahead of the president’s visit to China, Trump is scheduled to leave Washington Monday morning en route to the Philippines for a state visit, and will participate in the U.S.-Association of Southeast Asian Nations meeting, where the president is expected sign a trade deal with Thailand.

Trump is then expected to travel to Shenzhen, China, on Wednesday, where he will meet with other APEC leaders and participate in multilateral meetings, with a focus on economic growth and expanding economic opportunities involving AI or superior intelligence, as Trump has coined it.

Trump and Xi are expected to meet again in Miami next month for the G20 summit. Putin has been invited to attend the summit, but no decision has been made on whether he will attend.