The United States and China cannot agree on the format of a possible trilateral meeting between Donald Trump, Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin. Disagreements over the agenda and the way the talks are conducted cast doubt on the possibility of organizing a summit, during which nuclear weapons and the war in Ukraine were to be discussed.
This is reported by The Wall Street Journal with reference to sources familiar with the preparation of the meeting.
According to the publication, Beijing insists on holding negotiations according to a strictly defined script. Each of the three leaders must deliver a pre-prepared statement, and opportunities for free discussion will be limited.
The Trump administration opposes this approach and insists on an open exchange of views among the leaders. Washington believes that the meeting should involve substantive discussion of key international issues, not just formal speeches.
The potential summit could take place on November 18-19 on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) meeting in Shenzhen, China. However, there is currently no final agreement on its holding.
One of the main contradictions remains the issue of control over nuclear weapons. Trump wants to discuss the possibility of new agreements between the US, Russia and China after the expiration of the New START treaty in February 2026.
Washington insists that a future strategic arms limitation agreement must include China, whose nuclear arsenal is growing rapidly. However, Beijing is not ready to participate in such negotiations, as its nuclear forces remain significantly smaller than American and Russian ones.
According to a Chinese official, Beijing is ready to accept a trilateral summit only on condition that the agenda and expected results are agreed in advance. If this cannot be agreed, the Chinese side will prefer separate bilateral meetings.
A separate topic of potential negotiations could be the end of Russia's war against Ukraine. According to WSJ, Putin's initiative to hold a trilateral meeting is linked to Moscow's desire to advance its own terms for a peaceful settlement with the participation of Washington and Beijing, but without Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
The Chinese official confirmed Beijing's readiness to discuss the Ukrainian issue in a trilateral format, but only subject to thorough preliminary preparation.
Former US Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell noted that such a meeting carries significant risks for the Chinese leadership due to the unpredictability of negotiations with Trump and Putin. In his opinion, it is more beneficial for Beijing to build relations separately with Washington and Moscow.
As previously reported by "Kurs Ukrainy", on November 4, China for the first time officially confirmed holding consultations regarding a possible meeting of the three leaders. The Chinese Foreign Ministry then said it was in contact with interested parties, but confirmed neither the date of the talks nor their agenda.
Now, according to WSJ information, the preparation has run into specific disagreements between Washington and Beijing. Despite the initial interest of the three states, holding the summit remains uncertain.
