US, China and Russia to hold high-stakes trilateral meeting in Shenzhen

TEHRAN, Nov 14 (OPA) — U.S. President Donald Trump, Chinese President Xi Jinping, and Russian President Vladimir Putin are scheduled to convene in Shenzhen on Thursday for a high-level trilateral summit on the sidelines of the APEC gathering. Prior to arriving in China, Trump will visit Manila to attend the Quad and ASEAN summits and sign a trade agreement with Thailand. The Shenzhen meeting marks a critical juncture for global diplomacy as world leaders address pressing geopolitical and security challenges.

The agenda features a core focus on nuclear arms control following the expiration of the New START treaty in February, which removed caps on U.S. and Russian arsenals for the first time in over half a century. Senior U.S. officials acknowledged that tangible agreements are unlikely from this initial dialogue, which Washington views as an opening entry point to bring Beijing into broader strategic discussions. According to Stockholm International Peace Research Institute and Pentagon estimates, the U.S. and Russia hold over 5,000 nuclear warheads each, while China maintains an estimated inventory exceeding 600 warheads.

The simultaneous presence of the three leaders has drawn historical comparisons to the 1945 Yalta Conference, fueling anxiety among Western allies and Ukraine regarding potential backchannel negotiations over Kyiv. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has voiced concerns over being excluded from decisions affecting his nation's sovereignty. Meanwhile, Kremlin Spokesperson Dmitry Peskov rejected the Yalta comparison, asserting that no single viewpoint can be imposed on other nations within the modern global order.

Beyond nuclear and security frameworks, the talks unfold against the backdrop of complex bilateral ties and technological competition. Trump and Putin previously met in August 2025 in Alaska, while Trump and Xi held their eighth meeting last September in Washington, extending a trade truce through January 2027. Analysts note the Shenzhen summit provides a platform for major powers to signal their geopolitical standing as global trade dynamics and security architectures continue to shift.