As White House spokeswoman Olivia Wales said during a press conference, Trump's meeting with Putin and Xi will take place at the end of the US president's visit to Shenzhen for the Asia-Pacific Economic Community (APEC) summit. Earlier, Trump will also meet separately with Xi himself.
Talks about Ukraine 'inappropriate'
The president has made it clear that he will discuss, among other things, the reduction of nuclear weapons in the world, the spread of which he considers very dangerous, Wales said.
As senior White House officials said, Trump intends to raise the topic of the war in Iran during the meeting, but does not intend to discuss the war in Ukraine, considering it "inappropriate" given the fact that China is not participating in negotiations on this matter.
Officials stressed that no agreements between the leaders were expected. This will be the first such meeting and the first during which the Chinese leader is to raise the issue of nuclear arms limits. So far, Beijing has ruled out dialogue with the US on this topic.
Donald Trump is moving to Asia
The meeting will take place at the end of Trump's four-day trip to the Philippines and China for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and APEC summits.
Trump will leave the White House early Monday morning and land in Manila on Tuesday evening local time.
He will take part in a meeting of the leaders of the Quad (USA, Australia, Japan and India), sign a trade agreement with Thailand, participate in a special US-ASEAN summit and will be the guest of honor at a dinner with the leaders of ASEAN and other countries in the region.
On Wednesday morning, he will have an official welcome ceremony at the presidential palace as part of his state visit, as well as bilateral talks with the President of the Philippines, Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and lunch. The visit is to be concluded with trade agreements and strategic investments, including: in aviation, defense, energy and technology.
On Wednesday afternoon, Trump will fly to Shenzhen, where he will attend the APEC leaders' dinner and a multilateral meeting of forum leaders. On Thursday afternoon, he will hold a bilateral conversation with Xi and a working lunch. This will be the third bilateral meeting of the world's leaders this year.
"Starting Point"
A representative of the Trump administration described the trilateral meetings as a "starting point" and the first conversation at the leadership level about reducing the arsenals of the three countries. He pointed out that the Chinese arsenal is growing the fastest in the world and said that Beijing should start such a conversation.
The White House announced that no bilateral meeting between Trump and Putin has been planned, nor is there any plans to meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
Officials said that Elon Musk will accompany the president during his visit to China, but there is no business delegation apart from him. However, American businessmen will participate in the APEC business summit.
Officials noted that Musk would not attend the trilateral meeting or talk with Xi.
The conversation with Xi is expected to be an "implementation review" of current trade arrangements. An administration official said the U.S. was receiving rare earth metals and related products from China at a slower rate than expected, which is why the truce in the trade war between the superpowers was extended not by six but by two months during Xi's visit to Washington. He expects Trump to raise the issue with Xi. However, no announcements regarding changes in customs duties should be expected.
