Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke with Chinese President Xi Jinping and emphasised their two countries’ close ties a day after Donald Trump was sworn in as the 47th US president.
The two leaders discussed their prospective contacts with Mr Trump’s administration during the video call that lasted more than one-and-a-half hours, the Kremlin said.
They have developed strong, personal links that brought their relations even closer after Mr Putin sent troops into Ukraine in 2022. China has become a major customer for Russian oil and gas and a source of key technologies amid sweeping Western sanctions on Moscow.
In the call with Mr Xi, Mr Putin emphasised that Russia-China relations are based on shared interests, equality and mutual benefits, noting 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,” Mr Putin told Mr Xi in remarks carried by Russian state TV. “Joint efforts by Russia and China play an important stabilising role in global affairs.”
Mr Xi similarly praised their close co-operation, expressing his readiness to work together with Mr Putin to “lead China-Russia relations to a higher level, to cope with the uncertainty of the external environment with the stability and resilience of China-Russia relations,” and to “safeguard international fairness and justice”.
He emphasised that Russia and China should “continue to deepen strategic co-operation, firmly support each other, and safeguard the legitimate interests of the two countries”.
While neither leader directly mentioned Mr Trump in the televised fragment of their call, the Kremlin said they touched upon prospective contacts with the new US administration.
The Chinese president spoke by phone on Friday with Mr Trump and expressed hope for positive ties with the US.
Mr 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 co-operate on issues such as regional conflicts and curbing the export of substances used in the production of fentanyl.
Mr Putin’s foreign affairs adviser Yuri Ushakov told reporters the call had been planned in advance and was not specifically linked to Mr Trump’s inauguration. But he noted that Mr Xi briefed Mr Putin about it.
Mr Putin and Mr Xi discussed “certain issues related to possible contacts with the US administration,” Mr Ushakov added.
Mr Putin and Mr Xi expressed readiness to develop ties with the US on the basis of mutual benefit and respect if Mr Trump’s team shows interest in that, he said.
Mr Putin, who has yet to talk to Mr 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.
Mr Trump told reporters on Monday after taking office that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had told him he wanted to make a peace deal and voiced hope that Mr Putin would follow suit. He added that Mr Putin would be destroying Russia by failing to make a deal, pointing out Russia’s economic troubles, including high inflation.
Mr Ushakov dodged commenting on Mr Trump’s statement, saying the Kremlin is waiting for “concrete proposals that could form the basis for contacts.”
“We are open and ready for serious dialogue with the new US administration on the Ukrainian conflict, and if relevant signals come from Washington, we would pick them up and stand ready to conduct talks,” he said, adding that the Kremlin has not received any such signals yet.
On Monday, Mr Putin praised Mr Trump’s openness to dialogue as he spoke to Russia’s Security Council shortly before the 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,” Mr Putin had said.
“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.”
He also stressed that dialogue 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”.
Moscow is open to dialogue with the Trump administration on Ukraine, Mr Putin said, 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,” he said.
