US seeks Putin-Trump-Xi meeting at APEC summit in China

The United States is working to arrange meetings between President Donald Trump, Chinese leader Xi Jinping, and Russian President Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of the APEC summit in China next week. Secretary of State Marco Rubio discussed the potential trilateral meeting with his Chinese counterpart. Rubio and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi discussed Trump's trip to the APEC summit and Xi's visit to Florida for the G20 in December. The State Department said both sides agreed leader-level meetings are important for promoting peace and denuclearization, including a possible trilateral meeting with Russia. China's Xinhua news agency called the call "positive and constructive" but made no mention of a trilateral summit or denuclearization. Trump said he expects to meet with both leaders in Shenzhen to discuss ending the war with Iran and denuclearization, while the Wall Street Journal reports Putin wants to discuss ending the war in Ukraine. Beijing remains cautious about trilateral nuclear talks, saying its nuclear arsenal cannot be compared to US and Russian capabilities. The APEC summit is scheduled for November 18-19 in Shenzhen, though disagreements remain over format and agenda, with artificial intelligence risks to nuclear weapons potentially taking priority over Ukraine.