Xi Jinping, Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin at one table? Beijing has now confirmed, for the first time, that it is talking about exactly that.
At a regular briefing in Beijing on Wednesday, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said China "is maintaining communication with relevant parties regarding a potential meeting among Chinese, Russian and US leaders."
Just two weeks earlier, on 19 October, the same ministry said it had no information to share on the idea.
Here is what we know so far:
📍 The meeting could take place on the sidelines of the APEC summit in Shenzhen, China, on 18–19 November.
📍 Nothing is final. Beijing has not confirmed an agreed format or agenda.
📍 According to The Wall Street Journal, Putin first proposed the three-way meeting to Trump during a phone call on 9 October.
📍 Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov said on 25 October that Moscow, Beijing and Washington were ready in principle and that preparations had begun.
📍 Trump has said he would be interested in meeting Xi and Putin to discuss nuclear arms control. Reports say Putin wants the talks to focus on the war in Ukraine.
📍 Trump is expected to travel to Shenzhen for his third meeting with Xi this year, as a US-China trade truce nears its January expiry.
Ukraine is not part of the proposed meeting. Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said a leaders' meeting between Ukraine, the US and Russia could help end the war faster, while a Russia-China-US summit would have the opposite effect. President Zelenskyy has repeatedly said no decisions about Ukraine should be made without Kyiv.
Separately, working-level talks between Ukraine, the US and Russia are scheduled for 10–11 November in Abu Dhabi.
If the three leaders do meet in Shenzhen, what should be at the top of the agenda?
#China #Trump #Putin #XiJinping
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