Preparations have commenced for a trilateral summit bringing together Russian President Vladimir Putin, US President Donald Trump, and Chinese President Xi Jinping, Kremlin foreign policy aide Yuri Ushakov announced on Sunday, Oct. 25.
Speaking to Russian state television network Vesti and reported by news outlet Astra, Ushakov confirmed that Moscow, Beijing, and Washington have agreed in principle to convene the three-way leader-level meeting.
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“Right now, I can already state definitely that Moscow, Beijing, and Washington are in principle ready to hold it, and preparations for it have already begun,” Ushakov said.
The senior Kremlin aide indicated that the trilateral summit is being planned to take place on the sidelines of the upcoming Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) leaders’ summit scheduled for Nov. 18–19 in Shenzhen, China.
Addressing parallel diplomatic tracks, Ushakov characterized a prospective three-way meeting involving delegations from the Russia, the US and Ukraine in November as exploratory in nature, describing it as having a “range-finding character.”
APEC summit and conditions for Miami G20 attendance
Ushakov also addressed the possibility of Vladimir Putin attending the Group of 20 (G20) summit in Miami, Florida, scheduled for December, confirming that the Kremlin has received a formal invitation to the gathering from Washington.
However, the aide stated that Putin’s prospective travel to the United States remains contingent upon the operational progress and concrete diplomatic outcomes achieved during the November APEC meetings in Shenzhen.
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“For now, we are discussing the November summit in Shenzhen, but we have received an invitation,” Ushakov stated regarding the Miami G20 invitation.
Asked directly whether the decision regarding Putin’s travel to Florida depends significantly on the success of the trilateral summit in China, Ushakov answered affirmatively.
“Of course. But as I say: first comes November, and then comes December,” Ushakov emphasized, underscoring that diplomatic sequencing will dictate Moscow’s scheduling determinations.
Diplomatic controversy and international legal hurdles
The prospect of direct leader-level engagements involving Trump, Putin, and Xi unfolds amid acute sensitivity across European capitals regarding great-power diplomacy brokered without the direct participation of affected European partners and Ukraine.
Former Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk cautioned on Saturday that three-way arrangements between Washington, Moscow, and Beijing risk partitioning European security architectures, comparing prospective summitry without Ukraine to the 1938 Munich Agreement and the 1945 Yalta Conference.
President Volodymyr Zelensky has consistently stressed that no diplomatic architecture affecting Ukraine’s sovereignty or borders can be concluded over Kyiv’s head.
The Kremlin’s confirmation of the Miami invitation also intersects with institutional pushback from EU officials and international legal bodies.
European Union High Representative for Foreign Affairs Kaja Kallas and the European Commission have repeatedly criticized White House overtures toward the Russian head of state, citing state-sponsored hybrid sabotage operations across Europe and an arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague charging Putin with war crimes connected to the unlawful deportation of Ukrainian children.
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