A historic tripartite meeting that will bring together Trump, Putin, and Xi Jinping.. What do we know about it?

The White House announced on Friday that US President Donald Trump will hold a joint meeting next week with Chinese leader Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin. It is the first tripartite meeting of its kind that brings together the leaders of the three countries.

The meeting, which will be held on the sidelines of the APEC summit in China, will focus on the issue of non-proliferation of nuclear weapons. This is an issue that Trump believes could lead to the conclusion of a new agreement between the largest countries possessing nuclear weapons in the world.

White House spokeswoman Olivia Wells told reporters: “The president has made clear that he will discuss, among other issues, the issue of reducing nuclear weapons in the world. President Trump sees this proliferation as extremely dangerous.”

It is noteworthy that the last nuclear arms control treaty between the United States and Russia expired last February.

Meanwhile, China is building its nuclear arsenal at a rapid pace.

Officials have played down the possibility of a new agreement on nuclear matters, suggesting instead that the talks will serve as a starting point. “We don't expect to reach any kind of agreement,” a senior US official said. "I would describe this as the entry point, or the first dialogue - certainly at the leadership level - between these two countries."

“So, this is the beginning of what we hope will be a fruitful dialogue in the future,” the official added.

Officials said that world leaders also intend to discuss the Iranian file.

A senior US official said that Elon Musk is expected to accompany President Trump on this trip, along with others, although he is not expected to attend the tripartite meeting.

Beijing and Moscow have not yet officially confirmed their participation in the tripartite summit.