INTERNATIONAL DESK — 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 Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin have not yet yielded an agenda or format for talks, 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. The three men come with very different goals.
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 towards a three-way agreement on nuclear arms control. For Xi, however, it is an unpredictable gathering full of risks.