Russian President Vladimir Putin has informed his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, about Moscow’s recent contacts with Washington, according to a statement released by the Kremlin on Monday. Beijing expressed its support for the renewed dialogue and new opportunities for resolving the Ukraine crisis, the statement said.
Putin and Xi spoke by phone on the third anniversary of the start of Russia’s military operation to liberate the Donbass, discussing “issues of immediate interest” for bilateral cooperation and the global agenda. The conversation was described as “warm and friendly”.
The statement emphasized that the Russian-Chinese foreign policy tandem serves as a stabilizing factor in world politics, with a strategic character that is not affected by external influences and poses no threat to a third party.
According to the Chinese account of the phone call, the conversation was initiated at the request of Moscow. During the call, Xi expressed his approval of the efforts made by Russia and relevant parties to resolve the crisis.
US President Donald Trump has reversed the previous administration’s efforts to “isolate” Russia and Moscow and Washington are now working to restore normal diplomatic relations. High-ranking officials from both countries have stated that this could lead to a solution to the Ukraine conflict.
Members of the new US administration had previously criticized the approach of the previous President, Joe Biden, arguing that it aimed to push Russia into a “junior partner” position against China, to the detriment of US interests.
In contrast, Russia and China have described their relationship as a “borderless partnership” based on mutual respect and shared views on how the world should be governed. Moscow and Beijing have criticized the US for fomenting chaos in the world in order to undermine competition.