Nuclear Arms Reduction, Iran Likely to Dominate Trump-Putin-Xi Talks at APEC Summit

US President Donald Trump is expected to take part in a historic trilateral meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin in China next week, on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit.
 

According to an ABC News report citing senior US officials, nuclear disarmament and Iran are expected to be among the key issues discussed during the proposed meeting.
 

The gathering would mark an unprecedented joint engagement involving the leaders of the three major powers. However, US officials have played down expectations of an immediate agreement on reducing nuclear weapons, describing the talks as an initial discussion aimed at opening dialogue at the highest level.
 

White House spokesperson Olivia Wales said, according to CNN, that Trump intended to discuss reducing nuclear weapons worldwide. She described nuclear proliferation as a dangerous development.
 

“The President has made clear that, among other topics, he will discuss reducing nuclear weapons around the world. President Trump believes this proliferation is very dangerous,” Wales said.
 

A senior US official said the administration was not expecting any concrete agreement from the trilateral meeting. Instead, it viewed the engagement as an opportunity to begin discussions among the three countries at the leaders' level.
 

The official said there was no expectation of reaching an agreement and described the proposed meeting as an initial starting point for dialogue between the countries.
 

US officials also indicated that Trump was expected to raise the issue of Iran with Xi and Putin. However, the US President does not intend to discuss Russia's ongoing war with Ukraine during the trilateral meeting.
 

Before the joint engagement with Putin, Trump and Xi are scheduled to hold a separate bilateral meeting, followed by a working lunch. No separate one-on-one meeting between Trump and the Russian President is currently planned.
 

The discussions are taking place amid renewed international attention on nuclear security. The focus has intensified following the expiry in February of the last nuclear arms treaty between the United States and Russia. Meanwhile, China is expanding its nuclear weapons stockpile.
 

ABC News also reported that billionaire Elon Musk is expected to accompany Trump during some parts of his China visit. US officials have pointed to Musk's business interests in the country as a reason for his presence. However, he is not expected to participate in the leaders' meeting.