Putin and Xi Jinping Plan to Invite Trump to Three-Way Meeting on Sidelines of APEC
Geopolitics
Russia has revealed that President Vladimir Putin and China's President Xi Jinping have discussed the possibility of holding a three-way meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump during the APEC summit hosted by China in November. If it materializes, it would mark an unprecedented meeting of the leaders of the three nuclear powers. Yuri Ushakov, foreign policy adviser to the Kremlin, told Russian state television that the idea was raised during discussions between Putin and Xi on the sidelines of the SCO meeting in Kyrgyzstan. The three-way meeting could only take place if Trump decides to attend the APEC summit in Shenzhen on November 18-19. Putin plans to attend the summit and may hold bilateral or trilateral talks with the other two leaders. China and the United States have not yet officially responded to the proposal. If the meeting occurs, it would be a significant development for Russia, which has been trying to reduce its diplomatic isolation since the war in Ukraine began in 2022, and could provide an opportunity for Xi Jinping to play the role of a mediator. Some analysts question China's motives, as China sees itself as a power on par with the United States and may not want to elevate Russia's status unless Trump pushes seriously. This three-way meeting has no precedent in modern history, with the closest event being the Yalta Conference in 1945 between Stalin, Roosevelt, and Churchill.
