US President Donald Trump is set to take part in a historic trilateral meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit in China next week.

The meeting will mark the first time the leaders of the United States, China and Russia have held a joint engagement in a trilateral format, underlining the significance of the gathering amid growing geopolitical tensions and renewed concerns over global strategic stability.

According to senior US officials, the discussions are expected to focus primarily on nuclear disarmament and Iran.

White House spokesperson Olivia Wales said President Trump intends to place global nuclear weapons reduction high on the agenda, reflecting concerns within the administration over increasing nuclear proliferation.

"The President has made it clear that, among other topics, he will discuss the reduction of nuclear weapons in the world. This proliferation, President Trump believes, is very dangerous," Wales said.

US officials have, however, sought to lower expectations regarding any immediate breakthrough, stressing that the talks should be viewed as the beginning of a longer diplomatic process rather than negotiations aimed at securing a formal agreement.

"We do not expect to get to any kind of agreement. I would characterise this as the entry point, the first conversation, certainly at the leader level, between these countries," a senior US official said.

The trilateral meeting comes at a particularly important moment for global arms control efforts. The most recent nuclear arms treaty between the United States and Russia expired earlier this year, while China has continued expanding its nuclear capabilities, increasing international attention on the future of strategic weapons limitations.

Officials also indicated that Trump is expected to raise concerns relating to Iran during discussions with both Xi and Putin.

At the same time, they confirmed that Russia's ongoing war in Ukraine is not expected to form part of the trilateral agenda, despite continuing international focus on the conflict.

Before the three-way engagement, Trump and Xi are scheduled to hold a bilateral meeting and working lunch, providing an opportunity for separate discussions on US-China relations and other strategic issues.

No standalone one-to-one meeting between Trump and Putin is currently planned during the visit.

The China leg of Trump's Asia trip will follow his visit to Manila, where he is due to attend the ASEAN Summit on Monday.

During the ASEAN gathering, the US President is expected to participate in discussions focused on peace, security and broader strategic developments across the Indo-Pacific region. He is also scheduled to hold bilateral talks with Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.

Trump will then travel to Shenzhen for the APEC Summit, where he is expected to attend the leaders' dinner and participate in a series of multilateral engagements before meeting Xi and subsequently joining Putin for the trilateral session.

Billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk is also expected to accompany Trump during portions of the China visit due to his substantial business interests in the country. However, US officials said he is not expected to attend the trilateral discussions involving the three leaders.

The meeting between Trump, Xi and Putin is expected to serve as the concluding event of Trump's Asia tour and could provide an important platform for opening dialogue among the world's three most influential nuclear powers on issues ranging from arms control to wider international security challenges.

ANI