Latest news with #DiplomaticSolution
Al Jazeera
4 days ago
- Business
- Al Jazeera
China welcomes new US-Russia contact as Trump seeks end to Ukraine war
China's President Xi Jinping has told Russia's Vladimir Putin he is pleased to see Moscow maintain contact with the United States to advance a political resolution of the Ukraine crisis. The remarks during a phone call between the two leaders on Friday come after the Kremlin said President Putin would meet US President Donald Trump in the coming days. During the phone call, Xi said China would maintain its stance on the need for peace talks and a diplomatic solution to the Russia-Ukraine war, Chinese state broadcaster CCTV reported. The Kremlin said Putin had called his Chinese counterpart to update him on the latest US-Russia talks, during which Xi expressed support for a 'long-term' solution to the Ukraine conflict. The call between Xi and Putin was their second in less than two months. Putin is expected to visit China in September for events marking the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II. The two countries have further bolstered their economic, trade and security cooperation since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, which triggered a sharp deterioration in Moscow's relations with the West. China has never denounced Russia's war nor called for it to withdraw its troops, and many of Ukraine's allies believe that Beijing has provided support to Moscow. Beijing insists it is a neutral party, regularly calling for an end to the fighting while also accusing Western countries of prolonging the conflict by arming Ukraine. Trump has voiced growing frustration with Putin over the lack of progress towards peace in Ukraine and has threatened to impose heavy tariffs on countries that buy Russian oil, including China. The US president on Wednesday said he could announce further tariffs on China similar to the 25 percent duties he has already imposed on India over its purchases of Russian oil. In response to those remarks, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson said on Friday that Beijing's trade and energy cooperation with Russia was 'just and legitimate'. 'We will continue to take reasonable measures to ensure energy security based on our own national interests,' Guo Jiakun said in a statement. Calls with other allies Putin and Trump are set to hold talks, although no firm date or venue has been set. Both sides have confirmed preparations for a summit are under way and have suggested that a meeting could take place next week. China has been mentioned in media reports as a possible venue for the Putin-Trump summit, with speculation that Trump could join Putin there in early September. The Kremlin also said Putin had spoken to the leaders of Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan and briefed them on talks he held with US envoy Steve Witkoff on Wednesday. Putin also discussed Ukraine in a phone call with Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko on Friday, the Belarusian state news agency BelTA reported. Indian President Narendra Modi also held a phone call with Putin to discuss the situation in Ukraine and bilateral relations. 'Had a very good and detailed conversation with my friend President Putin. I thanked him for sharing the latest developments on Ukraine,' Modi said on X. The Indian president added that he looked forward to hosting Putin in India later this year, without specifying the date. Had a very good and detailed conversation with my friend President Putin. I thanked him for sharing the latest developments on Ukraine. We also reviewed the progress in our bilateral agenda, and reaffirmed our commitment to further deepen the India-Russia Special and Privileged… — Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) August 8, 2025 Pause in conflict may be 'close' The calls came amid rising hopes for a breakthrough in the Ukraine war, now in its fourth year. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said on Friday that a pause in the conflict could be close, after speaking to Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Tusk said Zelenskyy was 'very cautious but optimistic' and that Ukraine was keen that Poland and other European countries play a role in planning for a ceasefire and an eventual peace settlement. 'There are certain signals, and we also have an intuition, that perhaps a freeze in the conflict – I don't want to say the end, but a freeze in the conflict – is closer than it is further away,' he told a news conference on Friday. 'There are hopes for this.' Trump's efforts to pressure Putin into stopping the fighting have so far delivered little progress. Russia's bigger army is slowly advancing deeper into Ukraine while it relentlessly bombards Ukrainian cities. Russia and Ukraine are far apart on their terms for peace. Almost two weeks ago, Trump moved up his ultimatum to impose additional sanctions on Russia, as well as introduce secondary tariffs targeting countries that buy Russian oil, if no Kremlin moves towards a settlement were forthcoming. The deadline expired on Friday. It was unclear what steps Trump intended to take as a consequence.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Xi tells Putin China welcomes fresh US-Russia contacts as Trump seeks end to Ukraine war
BEIJING (Reuters) -China is pleased to see Russia and the United States maintaining contact and improving ties to advance a political resolution of the Ukraine crisis, President Xi Jinping said in a phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday. Beijing will maintain its stance on the need for peace talks and a diplomatic solution to the conflict, Chinese state broadcaster CCTV quoted Xi as telling Putin. The call was held at Putin's request, CCTV said. The call came after the Kremlin said on Thursday that Putin would meet U.S. President Donald Trump in the coming days in the search for an end to the war, now in its fourth year. Trump took a more conciliatory approach towards Russia after returning to the White House in January but has voiced growing frustration with Putin over the lack of progress towards peace and has threatened to impose heavy tariffs on countries including China that buy Russian oil. Trump on Wednesday said he could announce further tariffs on China similar to the 25% duties he has already imposed on India over its purchases of Russian oil. A Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson, in response to those remarks by Trump, said on Friday that China's trade and energy cooperation with Russia was "just and legitimate". "We will continue to take reasonable measures to ensure energy security based on our own national interests," spokesperson Guo Jiakun said in a statement released by the Chinese Foreign Ministry. Friday's call between Xi and Putin was their second in less than two months. The two countries have further bolstered their economic, trade and security cooperation since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, which triggered a sharp deterioration in Moscow's relations with the West. Putin is expected to visit China in September for events marking the 80th anniversary of the end of World War Two.
Reuters
5 days ago
- Business
- Reuters
Xi tells Putin China welcomes fresh US-Russia contacts as Trump seeks end to Ukraine war
BEIJING, Aug 8 (Reuters) - China is pleased to see Russia and the United States maintaining contact and improving ties to advance a political resolution of the Ukraine crisis, President Xi Jinping said in a phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday. Beijing will maintain its stance on the need for peace talks and a diplomatic solution to the conflict, Chinese state broadcaster CCTV quoted Xi as telling Putin. The call was held at Putin's request, CCTV said. The call came after the Kremlin said on Thursday that Putin would meet U.S. President Donald Trump in the coming days in the search for an end to the war, now in its fourth year. Trump took a more conciliatory approach towards Russia after returning to the White House in January but has voiced growing frustration with Putin over the lack of progress towards peace and has threatened to impose heavy tariffs on countries including China that buy Russian oil. Trump on Wednesday said he could announce further tariffs on China similar to the 25% duties he has already imposed on India over its purchases of Russian oil. A Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson, in response to those remarks by Trump, said on Friday that China's trade and energy cooperation with Russia was "just and legitimate". "We will continue to take reasonable measures to ensure energy security based on our own national interests," spokesperson Guo Jiakun said in a statement released by the Chinese Foreign Ministry. Friday's call between Xi and Putin was their second in less than two months. The two countries have further bolstered their economic, trade and security cooperation since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, which triggered a sharp deterioration in Moscow's relations with the West. Putin is expected to visit China in September for events marking the 80th anniversary of the end of World War Two.
Russia Today
30-07-2025
- Politics
- Russia Today
Melania ‘likes' Putin
US First Lady Melania Trump 'likes' Russian President Vladimir Putin, but is disappointed over the continuation of the Ukraine conflict, President Donald Trump has said. Moscow is willing to negotiate but has maintained that any talks must address the root causes of the conflict. Since assuming office this year, Trump has said he respects both Russia and Putin and wants to find a diplomatic solution to the conflict. In recent weeks, however, he has increasingly expressed frustration over a lack of progress in the peace process and has threatened Moscow with more sanctions. In Tuesday's episode of Pod Force One, the US president said: 'We know Putin and she [Melania] likes him,' adding that he 'got along with him very well.' However, Trump noted that shortly after his recent conversation with the Russian president, Melania had commented it was 'too bad they just bombed Kiev.' On Tuesday, Trump cut his 50-day deadline for Moscow and Kiev to reach a peace deal to just 10 days, warning of sweeping sanctions targeting Russia's trading partners if no agreement is reached. Russian officials have rejected the US president's ultimatums. Earlier this month, The Times published a report suggesting that Melania Trump's role in shaping her husband's decisions could be underestimated. While Trump has insisted that his wife simply wants to see an end to the bloodshed, the outlet pointed to her influence as a possible factor behind his shifting stance on the Ukraine conflict. Melania, 55, was born in Soviet-era Slovenia – now a staunch supporter of Kiev, the outlet pointed out, adding that her deep interest in the conflict reflects that background. US lawmaker Don Bacon echoed that view in an interview this month, saying the first lady could deserve credit for Trump's apparent turn against Russia. 'His position on Ukraine has clearly evolved,' Bacon said, noting that he wouldn't be surprised if Melania played a 'quiet but important part in that.'
Russia Today
11-07-2025
- Business
- Russia Today
Trump teases ‘major statement' on Russia
US President Donald Trump has said he is planning to make a 'major statement' regarding Russia and the settlement of the Ukraine conflict in the coming days. The announcement comes after Trump criticized his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin earlier this week, accusing him of not wanting to stop the fighting with Ukraine. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Moscow treats Trump's comments 'calmly' and remains committed to finding a diplomatic solution with Kiev and rebuilding ties with Washington. In an interview with NBC News on Thursday, Trump again stressed that he is 'disappointed in Russia, but we will see what happens over the next couple of weeks.' 'I think I will have a major statement to make on Russia on Monday,' he said, declining to reveal any further details. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov met with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on the sidelines of the ASEAN forum in Malaysia on Thursday. Washington's top diplomat said afterwards that they talked about 'new and different' ideas on resolving the Ukraine conflict. When asked by journalists on Friday about his discussions with Rubio, Lavrov said he would reply in Trump's style. 'As if I would tell you,' he stated. The US president said that he expects the Senate to vote in the legislation, spearheaded by hawkish Senator Lindsey Graham, that would impose a 500% tariff on countries buying Russian energy and other goods in an attempt to make Moscow compromise on the Ukraine conflict. 'They are going to pass a very major and very biting sanctions bill, but it is up to the president as to whether or not he wants to exercise it,' Trump said, referring to a clause in the legislation granting the head of state the power to halt the tariff for up to 180 days. On Thursday, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov asserted that Moscow will adapt if the US imposes 500% secondary tariffs on Russian trade partners and maintain its sovereign course. 'We know how to work in these conditions,' he noted.
