Trump open to US-China-Russia summit, says nuclear arms rather than Ukraine is the focus

Trump said on 19 October that he is open to holding a three-way summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin. He spoke to reporters at the White House. He said the meeting would deal with nuclear weapons and denuclearization rather than Ukraine, according to Nikkei and Sankei Shimbun. He said that if a meeting is held it would probably be in China, and that he would attend if Xi wants it. [ 1 , 4 , 7 ]

Trump said the United States has more nuclear weapons than any other country, with Russia and China second and third, according to Sankei Shimbun. Asahi Shimbun reports he said China used to be far behind but is catching up and would probably draw level with the US in about five years. Reuters quotes him as saying other issues such as trade would also be discussed. Asahi Shimbun adds that Trump had earlier said he would hold his third meeting of the year with Xi at the APEC summit in Shenzhen. [ 5 , 6 , 7 ]

The Wall Street Journal reported on 18 October that Putin proposed the three-way meeting around the APEC summit. Sankei Shimbun says the proposal came in the 9 October phone call between Trump and Putin. Reuters says that call produced an agreement on Russian diesel fuel and that Putin proposed using the meeting to negotiate an end to the four-year Ukraine conflict on terms favourable to Russia. Reuters reports that the Russian presidential administration said on 19 October that the possibility of a summit had come up in the talks. The White House did not respond to Reuters, and the Russian and Chinese embassies in the US did not answer. Reuters gives the APEC summit dates as 18 to 19 November. [ 1 , 5 , 6 , 7 ]

On Ukraine, Trump said the meeting would not be for Ukraine's sake, according to Reuters and Jiji Press. TBS NEWS DIG reports he said Ukraine would be taken up if a summit is held, and that he would do what he could to end the fighting whoever is present. Reuters and Sankei Shimbun report he said Zelensky has not been very helpful and that it may be time for someone else to negotiate for Ukraine. Reuters adds that Zelensky has criticised the diesel agreement and an executive order exempting Russia from sanctions, warning they would prolong the war. [ 1 , 2 , 5 , 7 ]

Jiji Press says Trump has advocated arms control talks among the three countries but that China, behind the US and Russia in nuclear forces, is reluctant to join. Asahi Shimbun says the INF treaty lapsed in 2019 and New START, the only remaining nuclear disarmament treaty, expired in February 2026. It adds that China and Russia have not shown willingness for serious negotiations, so how actively they would respond is unclear. Reuters says a three-way meeting would be a first and a major diplomatic gamble for Trump, and could raise concern that deals between leaders weaken US alliances in Europe and the Indo-Pacific. It also says an agreement among the three could ease global tensions. [ 1 , 5 , 6 ]

Asked about meeting North Korean leader Kim Jong Un around APEC, Trump said he did not know and was not sure anyone was seeking a meeting. Jiji Press notes that on 12 October he had said he might meet Kim during the November trip to Asia. Reuters says North Korea has shown it will not accept talks aimed at persuading it to give up nuclear weapons. [ 1 , 5 ]