The key facts
- Rubio confirmed US interest in a trilateral meeting between Trump, Putin and Xi Jinping at the APEC summit in China
- Possible dates are November 18–19, but no final agreement has been reached yet
- According to WSJ, the US and China differ on the format of the meeting and the terms of nuclear disarmament
Washington confirms interest in a trilateral summit
US President Donald Trump is interested in holding a trilateral meeting with Vladimir Putin and PRC Chairman Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the APEC summit in China, said Secretary of State Marco Rubio at a press conference in Paris on November 10. 'The President wants this meeting to take place if it is possible. We believe it should be possible,' AP quoted him as saying (reported by Life.ru). According to the head of American diplomacy, Trump considers the proliferation of nuclear weapons a serious threat to international security, which is why Washington is interested in a direct conversation between the leaders of the three states on nuclear arms.
The date and place are known, but there is no agreement yet
The meeting could take place on November 18–19 in the Chinese city of Shenzhen, where the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit will be held, but a final agreement on holding trilateral talks has not yet been announced. Earlier, Trump himself said he wanted to discuss denuclearization with Putin and Xi Jinping, suggesting that the conversation could also touch on other international issues. The Kremlin previously confirmed that Russia, the US and China have been exchanging proposals on the agenda of a possible summit; press secretary of the Russian president Dmitry Peskov emphasized that the final decision would depend on reaching agreements between the parties.
The main obstacle — the format and disarmament terms
Negotiating the summit is proving difficult. As The Wall Street Journal reported, Washington and Beijing have diverged on the format of the meeting: the American side favors a free discussion, while China prefers a pre-agreed agenda and expected outcomes of the talks. Another point of contention is control over nuclear arms: according to the outlet, Beijing is not yet ready to participate in a trilateral nuclear disarmament process on the proposed terms. Thus, at this point only the US intention and the exchange of agendas between the three parties have been confirmed — the actual holding of the meeting remains subject to negotiation.
