Trump to press Putin and Xi on nuclear cuts at first three-way meeting

The White House said on Friday that President Donald Trump will press for nuclear arms reductions when he meets Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping in China next week, in what would be the first meeting of its kind.

The session is set for Thursday on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum in Shenzhen. White House spokesperson Olivia Wales told reporters that Trump will discuss the reduction of nuclear weapons in the world, which "President Trump believes is very dangerous" in terms of proliferation.

A senior US official said no agreement is expected. "We do not expect to get to any kind of agreement," the official said, adding that it is time for China to step up to "the adults' table". Trump will also raise the US-Israeli war against Iran, the official said, but is not expected to bring up Ukraine.

Beijing has resisted the format. In October its Foreign Ministry said it would be inappropriate to ask China to join the "so-called trilateral nuclear disarmament negotiations at this stage", arguing that the request is neither fair, reasonable nor realistic given that Russia and the US hold larger arsenals and should speak directly. Chinese state media have said Xi will hold bilateral talks at the summit and have not mentioned a trilateral meeting. Moscow and Beijing have yet to comment on the White House announcement.

The US-Russia New START treaty expired in February, leaving the world's biggest arsenals without major limits. According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, Russia holds the most stored warheads, followed by the US and China.

Trump leaves on Monday for a four-day Asia trip that includes a stop in the Philippines.