The Kremlin, the Russian presidency and government, has confirmed that Putin will meet Trump and Xi on Thursday 19 November in Shenzhen, a Chinese tech city, at APEC, the 21-economy Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum. That puts the Ukraine endgame in a room hosted by Beijing, which gains whichever way it ends and, as Moscow’s economic lifeline, holds leverage over one of its guests.

Because Putin travels to Chinese soil to meet the US president, the summit tests Russia’s dependence on China as much as US–Russia diplomacy, and Xi could press Moscow in ways Washington alone cannot. Yet a three-way meeting is not a settlement, and it needs no concession on Ukraine from anyone present.

Europe has no seat, though it will be asked to fund and police any deal. As the talks opened, Chancellor Merz said they must not go ahead “without Europeans”; Shenzhen’s guest list makes that a request, not a veto.

The Gist AI Editor

Kremlin confirms Putin will meet Trump and Xi in Shenzhen

The Kremlin, the Russian presidency and government, confirmed that President Vladimir Putin will take part in what it called a “historic” meeting with US President Donald Trump and China’s President Xi Jinping on Thursday 19 November (ZDF, 15 Nov). The meeting will take place on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit, a 21-economy Pacific-rim trade forum, in Shenzhen, a southern Chinese tech and manufacturing city. It follows the US-mediated Russia–Ukraine talks that opened earlier this week. Military expert Guntram Gressel told ZDF on 14 November that the US proposal on the Donbass and NATO is, from Ukraine’s perspective, right in its basic idea. He added that many preconditions still need clarifying and that “a horrendous amount” could go wrong.

Iran strikes Bahrain as the conflict escalates

Iran hit Bahrain in a morning attack on 15 November, and the island kingdom told the public to take cover (WSJ). Tehran has struck Bahrain repeatedly since the war began, so Sunday’s attack adds to a pattern and does not open a new front (WSJ).

White House counsel says subpoena compliance “depends”

White House Counsel Will Scharf said the White House will not commit to obeying subpoenas from a Democratic-led Congress, answering “It Depends” (Bloomberg, 14 Nov). He added that company executives who have had contact with Trump may be covered by executive privilege. Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth’s impeachment is dead, so the fight has moved to oversight.

Infantino tours the world to secure Fifa re-election

Fifa president Gianni Infantino is touring the world to shore up support for his re-election after a backlash to a plan to sell a stake in Fifa, which the FT’s headline puts at $6bn (FT, 15 Nov). The stake-sale plan is the source of the opposition he now has to manage.

Stay tuned for the next Gist—your edge in a shifting world. The Gist remains independent and reader-supported. If you value news free from corporate or state interests, consider supporting our mission with a donation.

Inside Infantino’s $6bn Fifa charm offensive
— Financial Times

11 of the Best Financial Advisor Companies: Well-Known Fiduciary Investment Firms to Consider
— Wall Street Journal

Best films of 2026
— Marginalrevolution

Trump’s White House Lawyer on Subpoena Compliance: ‘It Depends’
— Bloomberg

Hello? James Gleick’s new book compares the history of the telephone to the modern era
— NPR

‘Low fire, low hire’ job market hurts US and UK productivity
— Financial Times

Hubertus Heil opens the race for SPD chair without naming a running mate

Hubertus Heil, Germany’s former labour minister, announced on 14 November 2026 in a letter to his party that he is running for chair of the Social Democratic Party (SPD), the first to enter the race (ZDF). The SPD is usually led by a man-and-woman pair, and his letter does not say which woman he would run with (ZDF), so other aspirants and party factions are free to bargain over who joins him, which makes his solo declaration an opening bid in a negotiation over pairings. His letter says Germany’s democracy needs a visible and strong social democracy, and ZDF links the move to earlier criticism of the current chair, Lars Klingbeil (ZDF). A contested race can renew a party, and an ex-minister with standing in the SPD is a credible challenger. The pitch rests on the brand of a “proud social democracy” and names no policy, even though the ifo economic institute expects inflation above 3%.

ifo: German firms keep passing on energy costs

The ifo institute’s price expectations index, which measures how many firms plan to raise prices, rose to 25.9 points in October from 23.0 in September (ifo, 30 October 2026). Crude oil and gas prices in the second half of October reached their highest level since 2022, and ifo’s economics chief Timo Wollmershäuser said inflation would keep rising for both producer and consumer prices (ifo, 30 October 2026). These figures point the same way as our call for German inflation above 3%, but no realised inflation reading has confirmed it yet.

Catch the next Gist for the continent’s moving pieces.

Hubertus Heil kandidiert für SPD-Vorsitz
— ZDF

Höhere Energiepreise werden zunehmend weitergegeben
— IFO

Kräftig gestiegene Energiepreise sorgen weiterhin für Preisdruck
— IFO

Aktuelles zum Krieg in der Ukraine
— ZDF

SpaceX parvient pour la première fois à récupérer l’étage supérieur de sa mégafusée Starship après 14 orbites
— Le monde

SpaceX’s Starship returns to launch pad from orbit in victory for company
— The Guardian