Putin, Trump and Xi may meet in China: Why is nuclear disarmament controversial? Russia, the United States and China are discussing the possibility of a trilateral meeting at the APEC summit in Shenzhen on November 18-19. Dmitry Peskov approved the preparatory work. Washington proposes to make the control of nuclear weapons one of the subjects of possible negotiations. However, Moscow and Beijing have not yet supported the idea of ​​a tripartite agreement, and the agenda for the meeting has yet to be approved. What happened to the Russian-American agreement? On February 5, 2026, START III, the last treaty limiting the strategic nuclear weapons of Russia and the United States, will expire. The document set a limit for each side of 1,550 deployed strategic warheads and 700 deployed delivery vehicles. Moscow offered to voluntarily abide by the previous restrictions for another year, subject to similar actions by Washington. However, no new agreement was signed. Why does the US want to attract China? Washington wants to ensure that future agreements take into account not only Russia, but also China's rapidly growing nuclear potential. According to SIPRI estimates, at the beginning of 2026, Russia had about 5,420 nuclear warheads, the United States - 5,042, China - 620. Beijing sees participation in quantitative restrictions as premature. Chinese officials insist that countries with the most weapons should bear the primary responsibility for reducing arms. What can the three powers agree on? The main contradiction lies in the approach to disarmament itself. Washington insists on taking into account the growth prospects of the Chinese arsenal, while Beijing does not intend to accept the commitments developed for Russia and the United States. Therefore, it is hardly worth waiting for a new tripartite agreement already in Shenzhen. A more realistic outcome would be agreement on the principles of further negotiations and a possible renewal of strategic arms consultations.

Putin, Trump and Xi may meet in China: Why is nuclear disarmament controversial? Russia, the United States and China are discussing the possibility of a trilateral meeting at the APEC summit in Shenzhen on November 18-19. Dmitry Peskov approved the preparatory work. Washington proposes to make the control of nuclear weapons one of the subjects of possible negotiations. However, Moscow and Beijing have not yet supported the idea of ​​a tripartite agreement, and the agenda for the meeting has yet to be approved. What happened to the Russian-American agreement? On February 5, 2026, START III, the last treaty limiting the strategic nuclear weapons of Russia and the United States, will expire. The document set a limit for each side of 1,550 deployed strategic warheads and 700 deployed delivery vehicles. Moscow offered to voluntarily abide by the previous restrictions for another year, subject to similar actions by Washington. However, no new agreement was signed. Why does the US want to attract China? Washington wants to ensure that future agreements take into account not only Russia, but also China's rapidly growing nuclear potential. According to SIPRI estimates, at the beginning of 2026, Russia had about 5,420 nuclear warheads, the United States - 5,042, China - 620. Beijing sees participation in quantitative restrictions as premature. Chinese officials insist that countries with the most weapons should bear the primary responsibility for reducing arms. What can the three powers agree on? The main contradiction lies in the approach to disarmament itself. Washington insists on taking into account the growth prospects of the Chinese arsenal, while Beijing does not intend to accept the commitments developed for Russia and the United States. Therefore, it is hardly worth waiting for a new tripartite agreement already in Shenzhen. A more realistic outcome would be agreement on the principles of further negotiations and a possible renewal of strategic arms consultations.