U.S. President Donald Trump sought to dial up pressure on Russian President Vladimir Putin to negotiate a deal to end the war on Ukraine by indicating he’s seeking to partner with China to try to reach a settlement.
“Hopefully China can help us stop the war,” Trump said during a video address at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, on Thursday. “They have a great deal of power over that situation.”
He had discussed the issue with Chinese President Xi Jinping during their phone call on Friday “and hopefully we could work together and get that stopped,” Trump said. The Chinese readout from that discussion stated the two “exchanged views on the Ukraine crisis” without providing any further detail.
Asked if the war can be ended within the next year, Trump replied: “You’re going to have to ask Russia, Ukraine is ready to make a deal.”
Trump’s decision to focus attention on Putin rather than Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is likely to raise anxiety within the Kremlin about its ability to influence the new U.S. administration to secure a favourable outcome to the war. The attempt to join forces with China will also spark unease because Putin has relied heavily on a strategic partnership with Xi to dilute the impact of western sanctions on Russia’s economy.
Zelenskyy made similar comments on China’s potential role in achieving peace in his interview with Bloomberg News on Wednesday. Xi “can push Putin for peace,” Zelenskyy said. “President Trump is the strongest — and Xi Jinping. I think there’s no other ally who can really do it.”
Hours before Trump’s inauguration on Monday, Putin had complimented the U.S. leader and said Russia was open to “mutually respectful” talks with him about the war.
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Since then, Trump has taken to social media to urge Putin to “make a deal” or face further sanctions on Russia and suggested the U.S. may team up with Russia’s closest partner to push for a settlement to the war.
Xi and Putin held a call a day after Trump’s inauguration where they talked up the China-Russia relationship. Russian media reported that the Chinese leader briefed Moscow on his call with Trump and that both China and Russia were open to dialogue with the U.S. president on Ukraine “if appropriate signals come from Washington.”
The two leaders declared a “no-limits friendship” just weeks before Putin launched his 2022 invasion of Ukraine. Though Beijing has stepped up efforts to position itself as a peacemaker that could help end the conflict, a peace plan it put forward in 2023 faced criticism by those who saw it as favouring Moscow.