Russia, China and U.S. discuss AI limits on nuclear systems, report says

Russia, China and the United States are discussing a mutual commitment to limit AI use in nuclear arsenals, The Moscow Times reported on November 11, citing the South China Morning Post. The reported focus is nuclear command-and-control systems, with negotiators preparing for a planned three-way summit in Shenzhen the following week.

A narrower agenda takes shape

The planned meeting would take place on the sidelines of the APEC summit. Ahead of it, working-level negotiators have narrowed their agenda to subjects where agreement appears possible, according to SCMP’s sources familiar with the discussions. Larger disputes, including the war in Ukraine and Korean Peninsula denuclearization, have largely fallen off the table.

China reportedly wants discussions about Ukraine to remain between Russia and the United States. It treats Korean Peninsula security as a matter for Pyongyang and Washington. That leaves the three negotiating teams concentrating on possible guardrails for AI in nuclear command-and-control systems.

Moscow confirms agenda exchanges

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said this week that Moscow was exchanging agenda proposals with Washington and Beijing. He described the potential agenda broadly: “There could be a wide variety of issues.” He did not name an AI restriction in those remarks.

Russia’s caution remains an obstacle

The Moscow Times describes Russia as cautious about formal curbs on nuclear command systems, resisting agreements that could reduce its military flexibility. That stance is a constraint on the reported effort: narrowing the agenda to an area of potential consensus does not mean Moscow has accepted a particular limit.

Alongside the AI discussions, diplomats are reportedly working toward a joint declaration reaffirming that a nuclear war cannot be won and must never be fought. Both efforts belong to the summit preparations, but they seek different commitments: one addresses AI use in nuclear systems; the other restates a principle against nuclear war.