As America wages war on Iran, Trump has said he would be interested in talks on nuclear arms controls, but Putin is focused on talking about Russia's conflict with Ukraine without Kyiv at the table.
Mao Ning, a spokesperson for the Chinese foreign ministry, told press in Beijing this week that China was "in communication with relevant parties regarding a meeting between the three heads of state".
Nothing is set, but the three-leader gathering would take place this month on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in the southern Chinese city of Shenzhen.
Experts say the three leaders are unlikely to discuss anything substantive because their interests are at odds but it would be a photo opportunity, with China carefully choreographing the meeting.
"China wants the image," Sun Yun, director of the China program at the non-partisan US think-tank Stimson Center said.
It would be Trump's third meeting with Xi this year.
Danny Russel, who was a senior official in former US President Barack Obama's administration, said Russis esd behind the push for a meeting.
Trump, with his "crush on authoritarian strongmen", would love it but had been warned by his advisers to steer clear of Ukraine as a topic, Russel said.
Sun said Russia would likely use the summit to nudge China and the US closer to Moscow's positions on Ukraine.
China also would not engage in discussions about arms controls, Ukraine or Iran, other than its diplomatic refrain that wars should end, Sun said.
Meanwhile, Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has held two days of talks in Brussels discussing post-war reconstruction, funding for 2027 and security guarantees backed by the Ukrainian government's Western allies.
"What matters is that it's clear on paper," Zelenskyy said in a television interview late on Thursday.
"... simply an understanding of the outcome: If Russia starts (attacking) again, what will happen? Who will do what, with what means, and when?"
The grim reality of war remained front and centre Friday in Ukraine, with more Russian drone attacks and a rising death toll from Moscow's guided bomb strike on a former school operating as a humanitarian aid distribution centre on Monday.
Russia is using - and plans to expand - its new Rassvet satellite network for military communications over Ukraine, aiming to make its strike drones more accurate and harder to jam, Ukrainian military intelligence told Reuters.
The Starlink network - run by Elon Musk's SpaceX and including a military version named Starshield - operates in Ukraine but not in Russia, and access to it has greatly helped Kyiv in the war against invading Russian forces.
Three-way talks between Ukraine, Russia and the US are planned next week in Abu Dhabi, the first trilateral peace discussions since February.
The Financial Times reports Britain will host Zelenskiy for a state visit next year.
With AP
