Analysis-A new 'Yalta'? Trump and Putin push for a meeting that Xi is wary of hosting

详细摘要

By Trevor Hunnicutt, Mei Mei Chu and Andrew OsbornWASHINGTON/BEIJING/MOSCOW, Nov 14 (Reuters) - The world's three most powerful leaders could sit down together next week to discuss global flashpoints, from wars in Ukraine and Iran to nuclear weapons and artificial intelligence.The prospects for any grand bargain emerging from the rare encounter, however, are slim.

WASHINGTON/BEIJING/MOSCOW, Nov 14 (Reuters) - The world's three most powerful leaders could sit down together next week to discuss global flashpoints, from wars in Ukraine and Iran to nuclear weapons and artificial intelligence.

The prospects for any grand bargain emerging from the rare encounter, however, are slim.

Down-to-the-wire negotiations over a meeting between US President Donald Trump, Chinese President XiJinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin have not yet yielded an agenda or format fortalks, according to two people familiar with the planning. But a meeting is expected in Shenzhen, where the leaders will attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum, the people said.

Putin sees a chance to secure an agreement to end the war in Ukraine on his terms. Trump — battered by his Republican Party's recent electoral losses — sees a moment for the history books, with possible movement toward a three-way agreement on nuclear arms control.

The Republican president's improvisational style clashes with Xi's scripted approach to high-profile events. And Trump's hope for arms control rubs against the reality that China — which has far fewer nuclear weapons than the US or Russia — considers itself a nuclear underdog.

For smaller governmentsnot at the table, including Ukraine and Taiwan, the idea of the big powers possibly cutting a private deal without them is a cause of deep unease.

The meeting would be Trump’s latest in a series of diplomatic spectacles over his nearly six years as US president, including his prior meetings with Putin and North Korean ​leader Kim Jong Un. None of those meetings produced a breakthrough.

A senior Trump administration official said "we do not expect to get to any kind of agreement" on nuclear issuesbut added "it's time for China to sort of step up" and talk about the topic.

"China is in communication with relevant parties regarding a meeting between the three heads of state," said a spokesperson for Beijing's embassy in Washington on…

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