Trump says he would hold three-way meeting with Xi and Putin "to talk about nuclear weapons and denuclearization"; China calls trilateral disarmament demand "neither fair, reasonable nor realistic"

WASHINGTON

U.S. President Donald Trump, speaking to reporters at the White House on the 19th (local time), said he "would do" a three-way meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin. On the purpose of the meeting, Trump said, "We would have it to talk about nuclear weapons and denuclearization." Secretary of State Marco Rubio chimed in the next day in Mumbai, India, saying it would be a very positive thing for the world for the leaders of the three most powerful nuclear-armed nations to talk. China's foreign ministry repeated for three straight days, from the 19th to the 21st, that it had no information at present in response to questions about the meeting.

Trump names nuclear weapons, rather than Ukraine, as agenda for three-way meeting

Trump's remarks came in an informal Q&A at the White House before departing for a visit to Kansas. According to White House pool reports, Trump boarded the presidential helicopter Marine One at 3:38 p.m. (U.S. Eastern Time) and took off at 3:41. The pool reported at 3:21 p.m. that the president was taking questions from reporters, and noted that before boarding he spent about a minute looking over the ballroom under construction.

A reporter asked whether Trump had agreed to a three-way meeting with Putin and Xi to discuss Ukraine. Trump replied, "No but I would, I would do it." He continued, "Not so much for Ukraine," adding, "Russia, frankly, has been fine on Ukraine." Trump said, "We would schedule a meeting based on the denuclearization, and that's a very positive thing for the world." As for the venue, he predicted, "I think it would be held in China."

A question was also asked about whether Trump would meet Xi and Putin without Ukrainian President Zelensky. Trump replied, "anything I can do to end the war, whether somebody's there or not." Trump said all he wants from Russia and Ukraine is for them to stop this foolish war.

Trump ties November trip to China to denuclearization initiative

At the same appearance, Trump said, "I'm going to be over in China in November on the denuclearization." Trump added, "if we can do denuclearization, I will have done the world a big, big favor." The pool reports do not indicate the targets or scope of the denuclearization Trump referred to.

The idea did not emerge for the first time that day. Trump also raised the nuclear issue on the 16th before boarding a helicopter to leave for Georgia. The pool summarized the president as saying he wants to reach a nuclear agreement with China and Russia but does not expect it to happen this year. The same report noted that the remarks were hard to hear because the president spoke while walking past reporters.

The same proposal was also exchanged at the U.S.-China summit. The White House fact sheet on Xi's state visit to the United States, released on September 25, includes the sentence, "The President advocated for trilateral arms control negotiations between the United States, Russia, and China." According to the fact sheet, the two leaders discussed international issues including Russia, North Korea and Iran, and agreed that Iran can never have nuclear weapons. The two countries said they would support each other as chairs of the Group of 20 (G20) and Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC), respectively, and that the two leaders intend to attend the summits hosted by the other country.

Trump also left open the possibility of meeting North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, chairman of the State Affairs Commission, during his Asia trip. According to the pool reports, when asked as he left the White House on the 12th whether he would meet Kim in Asia next month, Trump replied, "I may. That will be exciting, won't it? But I get along with him."

Rubio defends dialogue among leaders of the three major nuclear powers

Rubio met reporters on the 20th at the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel in Mumbai. A reporter, noting that Trump had said he was open to a summit with Xi and Putin to discuss not only Ukraine but also nuclear issues, asked whether there were signs China was open to arms control talks. Rubio replied, "the only way you're going to find out is to try."

Rubio said it is not strange for the leaders of the three most powerful nuclear-armed nations on Earth to communicate with one another. Rubio also said, "people need to grow up when it comes to foreign policy a little bit." Rubio said Trump does not consider talking to someone a concession, and asked rhetorically how one could reach a peace agreement between Russia and Ukraine without talking to them.

Rubio said it would be a very positive thing for the world if the leaders of the United States, Russia and China talked about "things like arms control." Rubio also acknowledged that there are many differences among the three countries that a single summit would not resolve. Even so, Rubio stressed that the world is a safer place when the leaders of the countries with the most powerful nuclear weapons at least communicate with one another.

Rubio was cautious about China's stance. Rubio said he did not know whether China is willing to discuss it, adding that he knows what they have been saying: "they'll talk about it when they catch up with everybody else." Rubio added that Americans should be proud to have a president willing to try.

Chinese foreign ministry repeats "no information" for three straight days

China, mentioned as the venue for the meeting, was guarded. At a regular briefing on the 19th, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning was asked whether China favors such a meeting, in light of reports that Putin had proposed a meeting with the U.S. and Chinese leaders next month. Mao replied, "I have no information to share at the moment."

At the briefing on the 20th, a question was asked about whether China would accept the proposal, given that Trump had said he was open to a three-way meeting with the Chinese and Russian leaders. The spokesperson's answer was the same single sentence as the day before.

On the 21st, a question was asked about Zelensky's statement that Ukraine must be included in any meeting of the Chinese, Russian and U.S. leaders on the war in Ukraine. The question was whether China would be willing to take part in a meeting without Ukraine. Mao said China's position on the Ukraine crisis is consistent and that China would continue to promote peace talks and a political settlement. On the possibility of a three-way summit, Mao said there was no information to provide at present.

A question about U.S.-North Korea contacts was also asked the same day. Asked whether China was involved in an exchange of letters between North Korea and the United States regarding a possible meeting between Trump and Kim Jong Un, Mao replied that there was no information on bilateral contacts between North Korea and the United States.

China rejects joining trilateral nuclear disarmament talks, citing "different levels of nuclear forces"

China has already drawn a line on the nuclear issue. On the 16th, three days before Trump floated the meeting idea, a reporter asked for confirmation of Trump's statement that the United States was talking with Russia and China about denuclearization. Mao replied that China has stated its position on the issue on many occasions. Mao asserted that the United States, which possesses an enormous nuclear arsenal, should fulfill its special and primary responsibility for nuclear disarmament. Mao went on to say that China's nuclear forces are by no means at the same level as those of the United States and Russia, and that asking China at the current stage to join so-called trilateral nuclear disarmament negotiations is "neither fair, reasonable nor realistic."

The same logic was voiced when the U.S.-Russia nuclear arms control treaty expired. At a regular briefing on February 5, 2026, the day the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START) expired, foreign ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said China's nuclear forces are by no means at the same level as those of the United States or Russia, and that China therefore will not participate in nuclear disarmament negotiations for the time being. Lin asserted that China keeps its nuclear forces at the minimum level required for national security and has no intention of engaging in an arms race with any country.

At the same briefing, Lin said the expiration of New START was truly regrettable. Lin said Russia had proposed that the two countries continue to observe the treaty's central limits, and expressed hope that the United States would respond positively to the proposal and resume strategic stability dialogue with Russia as soon as possible.

Kremlin raises possibility of U.S.-Russia leaders meeting at APEC

Russia sees the APEC summit in China as an occasion for leader-level contact. Yuri Ushakov, foreign policy aide to the Russian president, said in a comment issued on the night of the 9th after a phone call between Putin and Trump that the call lasted 1 hour 30 minutes. On whether the leaders would meet in person, Ushakov said, "этот вопрос конкретно не обсуждался" (this issue was not specifically discussed).

Ushakov said an important international event, the APEC summit, will be held in China, and that both the Russian and U.S. leaders are interested in attending. Ushakov said that if the two leaders are at the same venue, they "найдут возможность для того, чтобы пересечься, пожать друг другу руки и поговорить" (will find an opportunity to cross paths, shake hands and talk). The Kremlin comment made no mention of a three-way meeting involving China or of nuclear disarmament.

In the same comment, Ushakov said the two leaders discussed large-scale economic initiatives, including the possible supply of Russian petroleum products to the U.S. and international markets. Ushakov said Trump welcomed Russia's involvement in resolving the Iran issue. Ushakov also said Putin stated that his proposal to move Iran's enriched uranium to Russia remains valid. On the Ukraine negotiations, Ushakov claimed that resuming trilateral negotiations with the United States and Ukraine right after the State Duma (lower house) elections had been discussed, but that the schedule was effectively derailed by a Ukrainian drone attack on election day.

High-level exchanges between China and Russia are continuing. China's foreign ministry announced on the 15th that Premier Li Qiang of the State Council would visit Russia from the 20th to the 22nd at the invitation of Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin to hold the 31st regular meeting between the Chinese and Russian heads of government. At a briefing the same day, Mao said Xi and Putin had met twice this year.

Ukraine negotiations continue with special envoy Witkoff heading to St. Petersburg

In the Q&A on the 19th, Trump expressed dissatisfaction with the Ukrainian side. Trump said he thinks it is time for someone else to negotiate on Ukraine's behalf, and that it may be time for Zelensky to hand the negotiations over to someone else. On the negotiations with Russia, Trump said he is not trying to break off the negotiations midway, but that he has the right to do so immediately at any time. Asked whether Putin is willing to make a deal, Trump replied that several countries are trying to bring back a hostage they have been seeking for a long time, since before his term.

On Iran, Trump said Russia has done nothing there as far as the United States can see, and that Putin is staying out of Iran. Trump added that the United States is putting very strong economic and military pressure on Iran.

At a news conference on the 20th, Rubio said of the war in Ukraine that too many people are dying and that it must end. Rubio said there is a real risk of the war escalating and spreading elsewhere. Of Trump, Rubio said the president is clearly angry and frustrated at the lack of progress in negotiations to which he has devoted almost two years.

The negotiation schedule took shape on the 21st. At a news conference in Mumbai that day, Rubio said special envoy Steve Witkoff had met Zelensky a few hours earlier and was on his way to St. Petersburg. Asked about reports that Witkoff would deliver an updated proposal to Putin, Rubio declined to disclose details, saying, "No. I'm not going to." Rubio said that, from what he had been briefed, the meeting with Zelensky was positive. On the G20 summit, Rubio said Russia had been invited and that it is possible Putin could come to the Miami meeting, but added that there had been no confirmation of that.

Sources (KST)

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