The leaders discussed their prospective contacts with the new US administration of Donald Trump during a wide-ranging video call, the Kremlin says.
Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke with Chinese President Xi Jinping on ways to strengthen bilateral ties a day later Donald Trump was sworn in as the 47th president of the United States.
The two leaders discussed their prospective contacts with the Trump administration during a wide-ranging video call that lasted more than an hour and a half, the Kremlin said Tuesday.
Russian media reported that the two leaders talked about boosting trade flows. China is the largest consumer of Russian energy and the largest oil export market for Russia.
Xi and Putin “indicated the willingness to build relations with the United States on a mutually beneficial, mutually respectful basis, if the Trump team really shows interest in this,” Kremlin foreign policy adviser Yuri Ushakov said. to reporters in Moscow.
“It was also noted from our side that we are ready for dialogue with the new US administration on the Ukrainian conflict.”
For his part, Trump said he is willing to accommodate Russia’s view that Ukraine’s right to self-determination could be set aside in favor of peace and stability.
Ushakov said Putin wanted long-term peace in Ukraine, not a short-term ceasefire. No specific proposal for a call with Trump has been received, he said.
In Taiwan, Ushakov said that Russia had “confirmed its unwavering position of support for the one-China principle.”
China greets Democratically governed Taiwan as their own territory. In a New Year’s speech, President Xi said that no one could stop China’s “reunification” with Taiwan. Taiwan’s government rejects Beijing’s claims.
Ushakov said the Putin-Xi video call had been planned before Trump’s inauguration.
Partnership without limits
China and Russia declared a “boundless” partnership in February 2022 when Putin visited Beijing, days before sending tens of thousands of troops to Ukraine. Putin has, in recent months, described China as an “ally”.
Trump has said he will be tough on China and will talk to Putin about ending the war in Ukraine. In remarks to reporters after his inauguration, Trump said Putin should make a deal to end the war because the conflict is destroying Russia.
Xi called for talks to end the war in Ukraine and accused the United States of fueling the war by selling weapons to Kiev, which he said is ready to seek a negotiated solution that respects its interests.
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2025-01-22 00:14:00
