US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said that a potential summit involving the leaders of the US, Russia and China would be "a very positive thing for the world."
"I think there's an opportunity, and the president (Donald Trump) expressed an openness to do it for the United States, Russia, and China at the leader level to have a conversation about things like arms control," Rubio told reporters in India on Tuesday.
He argued that communication among the three most powerful nuclear-armed nations was not "unusual."
Rubio rejected the argument that diplomatic engagement should be viewed as a reward, saying Trump does not consider talks with other countries a concession.
He described the ability to communicate with the opposing side as "the bottom line of diplomacy and negotiations."
Acknowledging that longstanding disagreements among the three countries would not disappear after a single summit, Rubio emphasised the importance of maintaining communication.
"I think the world is a safer place when the leaders of the most powerful nuclear arsenals in the world are at least communicating with one another," he said.
Rubio said that Beijing has historically avoided arms control discussions until its nuclear arsenal matched those of other major powers.
However, he said it was "a good thing" that the US has a president who was "willing to try."
His remarks followed Trump's statements on Monday expressing openness to trilateral discussions with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Trump said nuclear disarmament would be the main focus of such talks.
The proposal emerged after The Wall Street Journal on Sunday reported that Putin had suggested holding a trilateral meeting next month to discuss ending the war in Ukraine.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov confirmed that discussions were continuing, acknowledging the "hypothetical possibility" of such talks despite the absence of an agreed agenda.
