The leaders of Russia and China underscored their close ties in a phone conversation today, a day after Donald Trump was inaugurated as the 47th President of the United States.
Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping have strong personal ties that have helped boost relations between Moscow and Beijing despite Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
China has become a major customer of Russian oil and gas and a source of key technologies in the face of Western sanctions against Moscow.
In today’s phone call, Xi and Putin stressed that Russia-China relations are based on “shared interests, equality and mutual benefits” and noted that they “do not depend on domestic political factors and the current international environment.”
“We jointly support the development of a more just multipolar world order and work to ensure indivisible security in Eurasia and the world at large,” Putin told Xi in remarks broadcast on Russian state television. "The joint efforts of Russia and China play an important stabilizing role in world affairs."
Xi also praised the close cooperation between Moscow and Beijing. Bilateral ties help "bring positive energy to the reform and development of the global system," he said.
He spoke by phone with Trump on Friday and expressed hope for positive ties with the United States.
Trump has threatened to impose tariffs and other measures against China in his second term and hinted at ways the two rival powers could cooperate on issues such as regional conflicts and curbing the export of substances used in the production of fentanyl.
Putin, who has not yet spoken to Trump, congratulated him on his inauguration and welcomed his intention to engage in dialogue with Moscow.
Trump told reporters on Monday that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had told him he wanted to make a peace deal and expressed hope Putin would follow suit.
Trump said Putin would be destroying Russia if he failed to reach an agreement, pointing to the country's economic problems, including high inflation.
Putin welcomed Trump's openness to dialogue when he spoke to members of Russia's Security Council shortly before the US president's inauguration.
"We have heard statements by Trump and members of his team about their desire to restore direct contacts with Russia, which were interrupted through no fault of ours by the outgoing administration," Putin said on Monday. "We have also heard their statements about the need to do everything to prevent World War III. We certainly welcome this approach and congratulate the US president-elect on his inauguration."
The Russian leader also stressed that dialogue between the two nations should be based "on a basis of equality and mutual respect, taking into account the important role our countries play in some key issues on the global agenda, including strengthening global stability and security."
Putin also said that Moscow is open to dialogue with the Trump administration on the conflict in Ukraine, stressing the need to respect Russia's interests and adding that "the most important thing is to eliminate the root causes of the crisis."
"As for the resolution of the situation, I would like to stress that its goal should not be a short-term truce, or some kind of truce for the regrouping of forces and rearmament with the aim of continuing the conflict, but a long-term peace based on respect for the legitimate interests of all people and nations living in this region," he said.
