Only Moscow Has Confirmed a Trump-Putin-Xi Summit

The Kremlin says work is under way to put President Trump, Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping in the same room for the first time, at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in China on Nov. 18-19. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters Tuesday that arrangements could be finalized within days.

So far, though, only the Russian side has confirmed a three-way meeting in public. China's Foreign Ministry issued a statement that mentions a meeting between the Chinese and Russian heads of state and does not mention Trump attending. Breitbart reported, citing a separate TASS report that Patriot Daily Wire has not reviewed, that Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrey Rudenko said no final decision has been made. We found no statement from the White House confirming a trilateral meeting.

The gap between Peskov's optimism and the more cautious notes from Beijing and from Rudenko is the story to watch over the coming days.

What Peskov Said

According to TASS, the Russian state news agency, Peskov told reporters on Nov. 3 that preparations were moving forward. "Work toward arranging such a meeting is ongoing, and hopefully [arrangements for] it will be finalized in the next few days," he said.

He credited the host. "Of course, our Chinese friends as hosts serve as the main organizing force here," Peskov said, per TASS. TASS says the meeting would take place in China, and names Shenzhen as the host of APEC on Nov. 18 and 19.

Breitbart reported that Peskov also described a general understanding among the participants that such a meeting would be worthwhile and "extremely useful," and said he was the first to confirm the talks. That followed a Financial Times report, as relayed by Breitbart, that American, Chinese and Russian officials had held discussions on a first meeting of the three leaders. We have not reviewed the FT report directly.

What Beijing Has Said

China's Foreign Ministry offered a narrower answer. Breitbart reported that the ministry said it is "in communication with relevant parties regarding the meeting between the Chinese and Russian heads of state." The statement did not mention the American president.

China has previously said Trump and Xi are expected to meet at APEC and again at the G20 summit in Miami in December, according to Breitbart. A Trump-Xi meeting and a Trump-Putin-Xi meeting are not the same thing, and the ministry's statement as reported speaks only to the Xi-Putin pairing.

The Financial Times, as cited by Breitbart, reported that China controls scheduling and could either facilitate the meeting or obstruct it. One of the paper's sources said Washington and Moscow are keen and have been trying to persuade Beijing.

There is also an account from Germany. According to the FT, as relayed by Breitbart, German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier said that when he was asked about a three-way summit during his meeting with Xi in China last week, Xi seemed confused and asked where the rumors had come from. That account is secondhand, and Beijing has not publicly addressed it in the material we reviewed.

Moscow's Own Caution

Even on the Russian side, the message was mixed. Breitbart, citing the separate TASS report, said Rudenko stated that "no final decision has been made." That sits uneasily with Peskov's hope of finalizing arrangements in the next few days.

Breitbart's own analysis suggested Xi may want the image of a statesman but may not want to join an effort that goes nowhere, and that China is wary of Trump's push for a three-way nuclear arms deal. That reading is the outlet's opinion, not something Chinese officials have said.

What Comes Next

By Peskov's own timetable, clarity should come within the next several days. The things to watch are whether the White House confirms Trump's participation, and whether Beijing's statements begin to include the American president. APEC meets Nov. 18-19. If no three-way meeting comes together there, China has previously said Trump and Xi are expected to meet at the G20 in Miami in December.