Putin might 'regret' full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Xi tells Trump
Chinese President Xi Jinping reportedly told US President Donald Trump that Russian leader Vladimir Putin could 'regret' the decision to invade Ukraine in February 2022.
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According to a new report by the Financial Times on last week's summit in Beijing, Xi is said to have spoken about the war in Ukraine during wide-ranging talks between American and Chinese delegations.
Xi's comments about Putin's full-scale invasion of its neighbour seem to have escalated. One source who was aware of the Chinese president’s meeting with former US president Joe Biden said that while the world leaders did hold “frank and direct” conversations the Russia-Ukraine war, Xi had not previously made such a statement about Putin and the war.
Meanwhile, Trump has suggested that he and Xi should cooperate with Putin against the International Criminal Court, saying their interests were aligned, according to the sources familiar with the talks.
The White House declined to comment on the ICC comment, the FT has revealed. However, the Trump administration has previously expressed its opposition to the ICC, which it accuses of engaging in politicisation, abuse of power, disregard for US national sovereignty and illegitimate judicial over-reach.
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On Sunday, the Trump administration shared a factsheet about the Beijing summit, but there was no reference to conversations about the Russian leader or the war in Ukraine.
This comes ahead of Putin's own visit to Beijing on Tuesday for a two-day summit with Xi.
Putin has said ahead of the summit that Russia and China are ready to support each other on various issues, such as protection of sovereignty and national unity.
According to the Kremlin, Moscow is set to talk to Xi about the proposed Power of Siberia 2 gas pipeline, which could deliver an additional 50 billion cubic metres of gas per year from Russia to China via Mongolia.
As Putin heads to Beijing, the war in Eastern Europe rages on. On Sunday, Ukraine launched a drone strike near Moscow, an attack which President Volodymyr Zelenskyy insisted was “entirely justified” after Russia hit Kyiv with an aerial attack.
The drone strikes came after a three-day ceasefire that Trump had secured, which allowed Putin to hold his annual Victory Day parade without the risk of Ukrainian attacks.