China is currently coordinating with the United States and Russia to organize a trilateral summit in Shenzhen on November 18-19. This proposed gathering would bring together Presidents Xi Jinping, Vladimir Putin, and Donald Trump for their first joint meeting since 2018.
The November 18-19 Shenzhen Proposal
The proposed meeting is designed to take place on the sidelines of the APEC leaders' meeting, where President Xi Jinping will host representatives from 21 member economies. According to the report, the format would likely be a brief, few-hour session integrated into the broader APEC agenda, allowing the three heads of state to engage without the formalities of a standalone diplomatic tour.
This timing is strategically calculated. By aligning the trilateral talks with the APEC summit, China can address urgent trade and investment concerns while the global financial community is still recovering from recent disruptions. The meeting would serve as a critical junction for the United States to reaffirm its position on the Ukraine conflict while simultaneously managing relations with both Moscow and Beijing.
Steve Witkoff and Yury Ushakov's St Petersburg Dialogue
The momentum for this summit appears to be driven heavily by Russian and American diplomatic channels. As reported, Kremlin aide Yury Ushakov revealed that President Vladimir Putin and US special envoy Steve Witkoff explored the possibility of this three-way meeting during discussions in St Petersburg on October 21.
US sources have confirmed that Steve Witkoff has briefed President Donald Trump on the potential summit as part of a wider effort to restart US-Russia diplomatic engagement. While Moscow has been actively pursuing the arrangement, the Chinese Foreign Ministry remains more guarded. Spokesperson Mao Ning has stated that Beijing is "maintaining communication" with the relevant parties, though she stopped short of a formal commitment.
Zelenskyy's Warning of a New Yalta Conference
The prospect of a three-way deal between the world's most powerful leaders has triggered alarm in Kyiv. ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has cautioned that such a meeting could mirror post-war conferences like the Yalta Conference of 1945, which saw major powers carve up spheres of influence.
The fear is that a trilateral agreement in Shenzhen could lead to a strategic advantage for Moscow, potentially reshaping the geopolitical map of Eastern Europe without the input of the affected nations . This echoes a historical pattern where superpower summits prioritize global stability and "great power" equilibrium over the sovereignty of smaller states.
Who is leading the negotiations for the APEC sidelines?
Despite the public interest, several critical details remain obscured. It is currently unnclear whether the governments of the United States and Russia are negotiating directly with Beijing or if they are conducting separate, parallel talks to pressure China into hosting. While sources indicate that Washington and Moscow are urging China to agree, Beijing has not yet provided a definitive response.
Furthermore, the specific agenda for the November 18-19 window remains unverified. While sanctions and regional security are the presumed topics, the report does not specify if there are pre-agreed conditions for the meeting to occur, leaving the summit's actual realization in a state of diplomatic limbo.
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