Russia’s Putin and China’s Xi emphasise close relations

Russian President Vladimir Putin had a call Tuesday with Chinese President Xi Jinping, emphasising the two countries’ close ties, a day after Donald Trump was sworn in as the 47th US president.

The two leaders have developed strong personal links, bringing relations between the two countries closer, even after Putin sent troops into Ukraine in 2022. China has become a major buyer of Russian oil and gas, as well as a source of key technologies amid sweeping Western sanctions on Moscow.

In Tuesday’s call with Xi, Putin emphasised that Russia-China relations are based on shared interests, equality and mutual benefits, noting that they “don’t depend on internal political factors and the current international environment.”

“We jointly support the development of a more just multipolar global order and work to ensure indivisible security in Eurasia and the world as a whole,” Putin told Xi in remarks carried by the Russian state TV. “Joint efforts by Russia and China play an important stabilising role in global affairs.”

Xi similarly praised close cooperation between Moscow and Beijing, saying it helps “bring positive energy to reforming and developing the global system.”

Space for dialogue

While neither leader directly mentioned Trump in the televised fragment of their call, the timing of the conversation may signal that Putin and Xi want to coordinate their actions in dialogue with the new US administration.

The Chinese president had a call with Trump on Friday, and expressed hope for positive ties with the US.

Following Trump’s inauguration, a spokesperson for China’s Foreign Ministry said that “China is willing to strengthen dialogue and communication with the United States based on the principles of mutual respect, peaceful coexistence and win-win cooperation.”

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

Putin, who is yet to speak to Trump, congratulated him on taking office in televised remarks during a video call with officials and welcomed his stated intention to open a dialogue with Moscow.

Russia’s foreign minister, Sergey Lavrov, said Putin answered positively when asked about establishing contact with Trump, adding that “President Trump said that he intends to contact the President of the Russian Federation in the nearest future.”

At the same time, Lavrov insisted that “the interests of the United States have never changed, regardless of whether a Democrat or a Republican is in the White House. This interest is to always be stronger than any competitor.”

‘Long-term’ peace in Ukraine

Trump told reporters Monday after taking office that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had told him he wanted to make a peace deal and voiced hope that Putin would follow suit. He added that Putin would be destroying Russia by failing to make a deal, pointing out Russia’s economic troubles, including high inflation.

Putin hailed Trump’s openness to dialogue as he spoke to Russia’s Security Council members shortly before the US president’s inauguration.

“We hear the statements from Trump and members of his team about their desire to restore direct contact with Russia, which were halted through no fault of ours by the outgoing administration,” Putin said on Monday. ”We also hear his statements about the need to do everything to prevent World War III. We certainly welcome such an approach and congratulate the US president-elect on taking office.”

The Russian leader also stressed that dialogue between the two nations should be based on “equal basis and mutual respect, taking into account the important role our countries play on some key issues on the global agenda, including the strengthening of global stability and security.”

Putin also noted that Moscow is open to dialogue with the Trump administration on the conflict in Ukraine, emphasising the need to respect Russia’s interests and adding that “the most important thing is to remove the root causes of the crisis.”

“As for the settlement of the situation, I would like to underline that its goal should not be a short truce, not some kind of respite for regrouping forces and rearmament with the aim of subsequently continuing the conflict, but a long-term peace based on respect for the legitimate interests of all people, all nations living in this region,” Putin said.