# Russia, China may be more aggressive if they feel Trump is on ‘his way out’: Brookings

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/russia-china-may-be-more-aggressive-if-they-feel-trump-is-on-his-way-out-brookings/
- Published: 2026-11-05T05:58:33+00:00
- Updated: 2026-11-05T06:22:08+00:00
- Original publisher: CNBC (publisher lean: Centre)
- Original article: https://www.cnbc.com/2026/11/05/trump-russia-china-summit-apec-midterms.html
- Topics: Asia, Business, Elections, Europe, Government, Politics, World

## Key points

- Brookings’ Robert Kagan warns Russia and China may see an opening.
- US military resources have been drawn towards the Middle East.
- A possible Trump, Xi and Putin summit is under discussion.

## Summary

A Brookings analyst has warned that Russia and China could act more assertively if they believe Donald Trump is nearing the end of his political influence. Robert Kagan said reduced US military capacity and a focus on economic deals with China may encourage Beijing to take greater risks, with possible consequences for regional security.

The article says US budget reports estimate that conflict-related deployments since June 2025 have used as much as two-thirds of US missile-defence interceptors, while three aircraft carriers sent to the Middle East have reduced the naval presence available in Asia. Trump approved an $11 billion arms package for Taiwan but held back a further package worth about $14 billion, describing it as a bargaining chip. The US, China and Russia are discussing a possible leaders’ summit at the APEC meeting in Shenzhen later this month; no agenda has been announced.

---
Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.
