Russia's Putin and China's Xi discuss close ties in conversation after Trump inauguration

Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks with Chinese President Xi Jinping via video conference at the Novo-Ogaryovo state residence near Moscow, Russia, Tuesday, January 21, 2025. (Gavriil Grigorov, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)

MOSCOW Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Tuesday and highlighted their close ties a day after Donald Trump was sworn in as the 47th US president.

The two leaders discussed their potential contacts with the Trump administration during the video call that lasted more than an hour and a half, the Kremlin said.

They developed strong personal ties that further strengthened their relationship after Putin sent troops to Ukraine in 2022. China has become a major customer for Russian oil and gas and a source of key technologies amid Western sanctions. radicals against Moscow.

During the call with Xi, Putin stressed that Russian-Chinese relations are based on shared interests, equality and mutual benefits, emphasizing that they do not depend on internal political factors or the current international environment .

We jointly support the development of a more just and multipolar world order and work to ensure indivisible security in Eurasia and the world as a whole, Putin told Xi in remarks broadcast by Russian state television. The joint efforts of Russia and China play an important stabilizing role in world affairs.

Xi also praised their close cooperation, expressing his willingness to work with Putin to take China-Russia relations to a higher level, to face the uncertainty of the external environment with the stability and resilience of China-Russia relations. and to safeguard international relations. equity and justice.

He stressed that Russia and China should continue to deepen strategic cooperation, firmly support each other and safeguard the legitimate interests of the two countries.

Although neither leader directly mentioned Trump in the televised portion of their call, the Kremlin said they discussed potential contacts with the new U.S. administration.

The Chinese president spoke by telephone with Trump on Friday and expressed his hope for positive relations with the United States.

Trump had threatened to impose tariffs and other measures against China during his second term, while hinting at ways the two rival powers could cooperate on issues such as regional conflicts and limiting exports of substances used in the production of fentanyl.

Putin's foreign affairs adviser, Yuri Ushakov, told reporters that the Putin-Xi call was planned in advance and was not specifically related to Trump's inauguration. But he noted that Xi informed Putin about it.

Putin and Xi discussed some issues related to possible contacts with the US administration, Ushakov added.

Putin and Xi expressed readiness to develop ties with Washington based on mutual benefit and respect if Trump's team is interested, he said.

Putin, who has not yet spoken to Trump, congratulated him on taking office in televised remarks during a video call with officials and welcomed his intention to open a dialogue with Moscow.

Trump told reporters Monday after taking office that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told him he wanted to reach a peace deal and expressed hope that Putin would follow suit. He added that Putin would destroy Russia if he failed to reach a deal, highlighting Russia's economic problems, including high inflation.

Ushakov avoided commenting on Trump's statement, saying that the Kremlin was waiting for concrete proposals that could form the basis for contacts.

We are open and ready for a serious dialogue with the new US administration on the Ukrainian conflict, and if relevant signals come to us from Washington, we will pick them up and be ready to conduct negotiations, he said, adding that the Kremlin had received no such signal. Again.

On Monday, Putin praised Trump's openness to dialogue as he addressed the Russian Security Council shortly before the inauguration.

We hear statements from Trump and members of his team about their desire to restore direct contacts with Russia, which were interrupted through no fault of ours by the outgoing administration, Putin said. We also hear his declarations on the need to do everything to prevent a Third World War. We certainly welcome such an approach and congratulate the President-elect of the United States on taking office.

He also stressed that the dialogue must be based on equal bases and mutual respect, taking into account the important role that our countries play on certain key issues of the global agenda, notably the strengthening of stability and security global.

Moscow is open to dialogue with the Trump administration on Ukraine, Putin said, emphasizing the need to respect Russia's interests and adding that the most important thing was to eliminate the root causes of the crisis.

As for the settlement of the situation, I would like to emphasize that its objective should not be a short-term truce, nor a kind of respite for the regrouping of forces and rearmament with a view to subsequently continuing the conflict, but a long-term peace based on respect for the legitimate interests of all people, of all nations living in this region, he declared.