Trump, Xi and Putin to meet on sidelines of APEC summit, raising Yalta concerns

Donald Trump, Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin are expected to hold a trilateral meeting on the sidelines of the APEC summit in Shenzhen, China next week, prompting warnings of a possible “Yalta 2.0” scenario.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has voiced concern that the gathering could lead to a new global order that sidelines Ukraine, eastern Europe, the Baltic states, Taiwan and even Iran, leaving these regions vulnerable to decisions made without their input.

The meeting is seen as an attempt by Russia and the United States to secure China’s assistance in resolving conflicts they describe as “wars of choice”. Putin is reportedly seeking consensus on a revised international framework, while Trump appears to support the proposed geopolitical trade‑off.

Critics argue that excluding key stakeholders from the talks risks “carving up” their interests, echoing the historic Yalta conference’s reputation for betrayal.

Source: The Guardian. Photo: Ben Cheung / Pexels.