China's Xi Jinping and Russia's Vladimir Putin speak by phone on Ukraine war anniversary
The call, made on the third anniversary of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, came amid expectations of a face-to-face meeting between Putin and his US counterpart Donald Trump as early as this month. Their talks could centre around global issues, not just Ukraine, according to the Kremlin.
China has said it backs all peace efforts, including Trump's latest bid to strike a deal with Russia to end the war in Ukraine.
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White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters on Saturday that Trump was trying to reach a deal to end the war, possibly as early as "this week".
Earlier this month, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov met US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and National Security Adviser Mike Waltz in Riyadh for the first high-level, face-to-face talks between the two countries since the war began. The two sides agreed to appoint teams to start negotiating an end to the war and fast-track the appointment of new ambassadors.
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov told Russian state news agency RIA on Saturday that US and Russian diplomats would meet for a second time in a third country at some point this week or next week. He did not specify the country where the meeting would take place.
US-Russia ties have thawed quickly since a phone call between Trump and Putin on February 12. During that conversation, Trump called for direct US-Russia talks and an optimistic outlook on the future of bilateral relations.
Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Lin Jian said on Monday that China's position on the Ukraine crisis was clear and consistent.
"China will always stand firmly on the side of peace, uphold an objective and fair position, and continue to work with the international community to play a constructive role in promoting a political solution to the crisis," Lin said.
More to follow...
This article originally appeared in the South China Morning Post (SCMP), the most authoritative voice reporting on China and Asia for more than a century. For more SCMP stories, please explore the SCMP app or visit the SCMP's Facebook and Twitter pages. Copyright © 2025 South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved.
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