Reports have emerged that Chinese President Xi Jinping told US President Donald Trump during a closed-door summit in Beijing that Russian President Vladimir Putin might regret invading Ukraine. China has strongly denied these claims.
According to a report by the Financial Times, Xi made this comment during wide-ranging talks between the US and Chinese delegations in Beijing. Trump reportedly also suggested that the three leaders should cooperate against the International Criminal Court.
The denial came just hours before Putin was set to arrive in Beijing for his own two-day summit with Xi. It is extremely rare in the post-Cold War era for a country to host the leaders of the US and Russia back to back within a week. Some analysts have speculated that Beijing is trying to position itself as a key player in global diplomacy, given the tightly timed sequence of these high-profile visits.
China’s deep economic ties with Russia make its denial all the more significant
The Kremlin has already indicated that Russia and China are ready to support each other on a wide range of issues, including national unity and protection of sovereignty. The proposed Power of Siberia 2 gas pipeline, which could deliver an additional 50 billion cubic meters of gas per year from Russia’s Arctic gas fields via Mongolia to China, is expected to be a major topic during Putin’s visit to Beijing.
China and Russia’s bilateral trade has soared to record levels since 2022, with China buying more than one-quarter of Russia’s exports. Beijing has purchased more than $367 billion worth of Russian fossil fuels since the start of the war, according to data from the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air. This has supported China’s energy security, which has become especially important since instability in the Middle East disrupted oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz.
China’s large purchases of Russian crude oil have supplied Moscow with hundreds of billions of dollars in revenue, which has helped sustain the war in Ukraine. The two leaders, Xi and Putin, have met on more than 40 occasions, far more than Xi’s meetings with Western leaders.
This level of engagement points to just how close the two countries have become since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Separately, Zelensky has said the US asked Ukraine for help countering Iranian drones, adding another layer of complexity to the already tangled web of alliances in this conflict.
The proposed Power of Siberia 2 pipeline has been a key area of focus for Russia, as it would significantly expand the energy trade between the two countries. Russia has been eager to deepen this energy relationship, especially as Western sanctions have cut it off from many of its traditional trading partners. China, on the other hand, has benefited from cheaper Russian energy supplies.
China’s support for Russia has been a major concern in the West. Critics argue that without Chinese economic backing, Russia would have found it far harder to keep funding its military campaign in Ukraine. While Beijing has insisted it is neutral in the conflict, its trade figures tell a different story about where its interests lie.
Whether Xi’s alleged remarks to Trump will have any effect on the war in Ukraine remains unclear. Recent reports suggest that Putin believes the Russia-Ukraine war is nearing its end, a statement that came after one of the most scaled-back Victory Day parades in Moscow’s recent history.
What is certain is that Putin’s visit to Beijing draws fresh attention to China’s role in the conflict and the complicated position it holds between East and West. The world is closely watching how these relationships develop, as any shift in China’s stance could have major consequences for the ongoing war and for global diplomacy as a whole.
Published: May 19, 2026 11:45 am