The US, China and Russia are preparing talks on nuclear weapons and artificial intelligence: Ukraine may remain off the agenda

The United States, China and Russia are discussing the possibility of holding a trilateral meeting at the highest level during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Shenzhen, China. The main topics of the negotiations may be nuclear security, arms control and the use of artificial intelligence in military systems. At the same time, the issue of the war in Ukraine, according to sources, is not currently on the priority agenda.

This was reported by the South China Morning Post, citing sources familiar with the preparation of the possible meeting.

The Ukrainian issue may remain outside the negotiations

According to journalists, representatives of Washington, Beijing and Moscow have been discussing the possible agenda of the meeting of Donald Trump, Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin for several weeks.

At the same time, the issues of Russia’s war against Ukraine and the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, according to the publication’s interlocutors, have actually receded into the background.

The Chinese side allegedly believes that the settlement of the war in Ukraine should be the subject of direct negotiations between the US and Russia. Instead, Beijing proposes to leave the issue of the Korean Peninsula for the dialogue between Washington and Pyongyang.

At the same time, there is no official confirmation of the final agenda at the moment, and the trilateral meeting itself has not yet been agreed upon.

Artificial intelligence and nuclear weapons: what they want to agree on

One of the central topics of possible negotiations may be the use of artificial intelligence in nuclear weapons control systems.

In particular, the parties may discuss the principle according to which the final decision on the use of nuclear weapons should be made by a person, not artificial intelligence.

The US and China have previously raised the issue of the need for human control over such decisions. Russia, on the other hand, is more cautious about introducing formal international restrictions.

Other possible topics include:

preventing the use of AI for unauthorized control of nuclear systems;

limiting cyberattacks on nuclear command and communications systems;
exchanging information on missile tests;
increasing transparency of nuclear arsenals;
adopting a joint statement on the inadmissibility of nuclear war.

Experts suggest that the issue of nuclear security may be the basis for finding a common position between the three states.

The US insists on control over nuclear arsenals

Washington is interested in expanding negotiations on nuclear arms control with the participation of China.

However, Beijing has long refused to form a full-fledged trilateral format, explaining this by the fact that the Chinese nuclear arsenal is significantly inferior to the American and Russian ones.

China insists that the US and Russia must first significantly reduce their own nuclear weapons stocks.

As a compromise, Beijing proposes to discuss the issue of nuclear transparency and information exchange.

The possibility of a joint statement that a nuclear war cannot have winners and must never be waged is also being considered.

Possible G3 format raises concerns

A potential meeting of the leaders of the US, China and Russia is already unofficially called the G3 format.

At the same time, the prospect of creating such a platform is causing concern among other states, which fear that global decisions will be made without their participation.

According to sources of the South China Morning Post, Japan is particularly concerned.

For China, holding a trilateral meeting could be an opportunity to strengthen its own diplomatic positions. For Russia, it could be an opportunity to demonstrate international political weight, and for Donald Trump, it could be an opportunity to declare achievements in the field of global nuclear security.

Will the meeting take place

According to the publication, negotiations on organizing a trilateral summit are progressing slowly.

The possibility of holding a meeting is being considered in the context of the APEC summit scheduled for November 18-19.

There are currently no final agreements on the participation of leaders and the agenda.