Trump says he thinks he will meet Putin and Xi together at the APEC summit in Shenzhen, with Iran and denuclearisation on the agenda
President Donald Trump said on Sunday that he thinks one of his meetings at next week's APEC leaders' summit in Shenzhen, China, will be a joint meeting with President Vladimir Putin and President Xi Jinping: 'We're talking a lot of things, including denuclearisation... We're trying to end the war in Iran.' Beijing said on Monday that it was 'in communication with relevant parties' about a meeting between the three presidents and did not rule one out; it did not confirm a trilateral meeting. The Kremlin says Moscow, Beijing and Washington are exchanging views on the agenda for a possible leaders' meeting on the APEC sidelines. No trilateral meeting has been confirmed.
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This story is still being checked. Claims below are published as claims — never dressed as facts — and each one moves only when the evidence earns it.
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Key points
- Trump: 'One of the meetings, I think, will be with President Putin and President Xi... We're trying to end the war in Iran.'
- The setting is the APEC leaders' summit in Shenzhen on 18–19 November; denuclearisation is also on his stated agenda.
- Beijing: China is 'in communication with relevant parties' — it did not rule a meeting out, and did not confirm one.
- The Kremlin says the three capitals are exchanging views on an agenda; no trilateral meeting has been confirmed.
What happened
A joint meeting of the American, Russian and Chinese presidents would be a rare event, and it would land in the middle of two wars: the US–Israeli war on Iran, now in its ninth month, and Russia's war in Ukraine, where US-brokered talks resume in Abu Dhabi this week. Trump and Xi are also due to meet bilaterally at the summit — their third meeting this year — and again at the G20 in Miami at the end of the year.
The three capitals' public lines on Monday were deliberately non-committal: Washington stated an expectation, Beijing stated a process, and Moscow stated an agenda exchange. None of the three announced a trilateral meeting.
Claim by claim
Why this label: The president's own words to reporters on Sunday, as reported by Reuters and in The Hindu's report in agreement on the wording. That he expects the meeting is verified by his statement; whether the meeting takes place is a separate question, carried below.
On the ladder: a claim earns Verified from primary evidence, or from two independent sources that do not copy each other.
Why this label: The spokesman's words at Monday's briefing, as reported by The Hindu. Not ruling a meeting out is not a confirmation, and none was given.
On the ladder: a claim earns Verified from primary evidence, or from two independent sources that do not copy each other.
Why this label: The Kremlin spokesman's statement as reported by TASS, Russia's state news agency. It is carried as Moscow's own account of the preparations; it does not confirm the meeting either.
On the ladder: a claim earns Verified from primary evidence, or from two independent sources that do not copy each other.
Show all claims (3 more)
Why this label: Trump's October position and the Journal's report of Putin's pitch, as reported by Reuters. The pitch is the Journal's account of Russian thinking, not an announced agenda.
On the ladder: a claim earns Verified from primary evidence, or from two independent sources that do not copy each other.
Why this label: The president's own words in the interview, as reported by Reuters. His assessment is carried as his position; no terms were offered.
On the ladder: a claim earns Verified from primary evidence, or from two independent sources that do not copy each other.
Why this label: The analyst is Su Liuqiang of the Shanghai Institutes for International Studies, interviewed by Chinese state media and reported by The Hindu. His assessment is context, not an official position.
On the ladder: the evidence so far sits low — early, single or social sources. We publish the claim as a claim, never as fact.
What we know / what we don't know yet
What we know
- What Trump said he expects, in his own words on Sunday, and the APEC summit's dates and venue.
- That Beijing and Moscow responded on Monday in process terms — communication and agenda exchanges — without confirming a trilateral meeting.
What we don't know yet
- Whether a trilateral meeting will take place, and in what format — formal summit or informal exchange.
- Any agreed agenda — the Ukraine element rests on the Wall Street Journal's report of Putin's pitch, not on an announcement.
Why it matters
If the three leaders do sit down together in Shenzhen, the two wars and the nuclear arsenals of all three countries are, on Trump's own account, on the table at once. If they do not, the gap between the president's expectation and the other capitals' caution is itself the measure of how far a three-way deal still has to travel.
Background
Show the background timeline (5)
Trump says he is open to three-way arms control talks with Xi and Putin focused on denuclearisation.
The Wall Street Journal reports Putin has pitched a trilateral meeting to discuss ending the war in Ukraine.
Trump tells reporters he thinks one of his APEC meetings will be with Putin and Xi together.
Beijing says it is 'in communication with relevant parties'; the Kremlin says the three capitals are exchanging views on an agenda.
The APEC leaders' summit in Shenzhen, where Trump and Xi are also due to meet bilaterally.
Update history
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Published in Checking state — the president's expectation is on the record, and confirmation of a trilateral meeting from Beijing and Moscow is awaited.