US President Donald Trump, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping are set to hold an unprecedented trilateral meeting in China's southern city of Shenzhen on November 19, bringing together the leaders of the world's three major powers amid mounting international tensions and growing concerns over nuclear proliferation.

The meeting will take place on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit, scheduled for November 18-19, the Kremlin confirmed on Saturday, following an earlier announcement by the White House.

"An agreement has been reached to hold a trilateral meeting on the 19th between President Putin, Chairman Xi and President Trump. This meeting will take place in Shenzhen on the sidelines of the APEC summit," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told Russia's state-run TASS news agency.

White House spokeswoman Olivia Wales said Trump would conclude his visit to China with the three-way meeting, following bilateral talks with Xi and a working lunch on Thursday.

"The president has made it clear that, among other topics, he will discuss the reduction of nuclear weapons in the world, whose proliferation President Trump believes is very dangerous," Wales told reporters.

A senior US official said Washington also expected Iran to feature in the discussions, but indicated that the war in Ukraine would not be on the agenda because it was being addressed through a separate diplomatic channel involving Washington, Moscow and Kyiv.

The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the United States did not expect the meeting to produce an agreement, describing it instead as an initial opportunity for direct discussions between the three leaders.

"I would characterize this as the entry point, the first conversation, certainly at the leader level between these countries," the official said.

Nuclear arms control and Iran expected to dominate discussions

The planned summit comes at a particularly sensitive moment for global nuclear security, following the expiration of the New START nuclear arms control treaty between Washington and Moscow in February 2026.

The expiration of the agreement, which had imposed limits on the two countries' deployed strategic nuclear arsenals, left the world's two largest nuclear powers without a major legally binding framework governing their strategic nuclear weapons.

Trump has repeatedly expressed interest in negotiating a broader nuclear arms control agreement that would also include China, arguing that Beijing's rapidly expanding nuclear arsenal should be incorporated into future international arrangements.

China, however, has traditionally resisted joining bilateral nuclear arms control negotiations with Washington and Moscow, citing the substantial disparity between its nuclear capabilities and those of the two established nuclear powers.

Iran is also expected to feature prominently in the discussions amid the continuing conflict involving Tehran and the United States. However, Washington's decision to exclude Ukraine from the trilateral agenda underscores the existence of separate diplomatic tracks for addressing the different international conflicts.

China seeks diplomatic role as global tensions mount

Beijing had previously confirmed that it was in contact with Washington and Moscow regarding a possible trilateral meeting, although it had not initially announced a finalized arrangement.

The gathering will also provide an opportunity for Trump and Xi to discuss bilateral relations, particularly trade, tariffs, critical minerals and technology restrictions.

The two leaders are scheduled to hold separate talks on Thursday, marking their fourth meeting since Trump returned to the White House in 2025.

The APEC summit will bring together leaders from 21 member economies to discuss regional economic cooperation, trade, artificial intelligence and economic growth.

Trump is scheduled to leave Washington on Monday for the Philippines, where he will participate in regional diplomatic engagements before travelling to Shenzhen on Wednesday.

Tesla and SpaceX chief executive Elon Musk is also expected to accompany Trump during parts of his China visit but will not participate in the official meetings with Xi and Putin, according to US officials.

The November 19 gathering will mark the first known three-way meeting between the sitting leaders of the United States, Russia and China, three countries whose decisions have far-reaching implications for global security, the international economy and the balance of power. (ILKHA)