War in Ukraine excluded from possible topics for talks between Xi, Trump and Putin
Russia’s war against Ukraine has effectively dropped off the potential agenda for trilateral talks between the leaders of China, the United States and Russia, which could take place on 18–19 November on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Shenzhen, China. Beijing insists that the war should be discussed directly between Moscow and Washington.
The South China Morning Post reports this, citing informed sources, according to Censor.NET.
According to the outlet’s sources, China, the United States and Russia have been coordinating the agenda and protocol for a possible meeting between Xi Jinping, Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin for several weeks.
China proposes that the issue of the Russian-Ukrainian war be addressed in talks between the United States and Russia, while the denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula should be discussed between Washington and Pyongyang.
Both topics have effectively been excluded from the list of issues that could be considered during the trilateral meeting.
What China, the United States and Russia will seek to agree on
Instead, the parties have focused on issues on which they could potentially reach agreement.
One of the main topics is the use of artificial intelligence in nuclear command and control systems.
According to the sources, the talks could result in an agreement to limit the use of AI in managing nuclear arsenals.
The United States is also pushing for discussions on nuclear arms control involving the three countries. However, China has long opposed such a format.
As an alternative, Beijing has proposed discussing nuclear transparency.
In addition, the leaders of the three countries could issue a joint statement declaring that nuclear war is unacceptable.
Putin previously proposed a trilateral meeting
Preparations for talks between Xi Jinping, Trump and Putin are ongoing, but no final agreement to hold them has yet been reached.
The leaders’ busy schedules during the APEC summit could pose an obstacle.
The Wall Street Journal previously reported, citing sources, that Putin had proposed to Trump during a phone call that they arrange a trilateral meeting involving Xi Jinping.
According to the outlet, the Russian dictator hoped to use this format to reach agreements on ending the war against Ukraine on terms favourable to Moscow.
Meanwhile, Trump previously said he was ready for trilateral talks, primarily to discuss nuclear weapons rather than the war in Ukraine.
