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Chinese President Xi Jinping reportedly told US President Donald Trump during talks in Beijing that Russian leader Vladimir Putin may come to regret his decision to invade Ukraine, according to the Financial Times.
The remark was reportedly made during broad discussions that included the war in Ukraine. According to several sources familiar with the US assessment of the summit, this was the first known occasion on which Xi directly expressed such a view regarding Putin’s actions.
A source familiar with Xi’s previous meetings with former US President Joe Biden said past discussions about Russia and Ukraine had been “frank and direct,” but Xi had never previously offered a personal assessment of Putin or the invasion itself.
Neither the Chinese embassy in Washington nor the White House commented on the report. The official readout from the summit also made no mention of Putin or Ukraine.
According to the report, Trump also suggested during the talks that the United States, China, and Russia could cooperate in opposing the International Criminal Court, arguing that the three countries shared overlapping interests on the issue. The White House declined to comment on that proposal.
The meeting additionally touched on Taiwan. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio reportedly reaffirmed that Washington’s policy toward Taiwan remains unchanged despite strong warnings from Xi about the risks of direct military confrontation.
After the talks, Trump warned Taiwan against declaring independence and said he did not support such a move, though he added that no final decision had been made regarding future military contracts with the island.
