US President Donald Trump has said he wants China’s help to end the war in Ukraine so that Russia can be brought to the negotiating table. “I would like China to help us with Russia,” Trump told reporters during a trip to Asia aboard Air Force One. He will meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping in South Korea.
China is a close ally of Russia and Moscow’s biggest economic support after Western sanctions. That’s why Trump’s hopes seem more ambitious than reality.
The statement came at a time when the week proved to be particularly difficult for Ukraine. The U.S. refused to provide Tomahawk cruise missiles, the European Union did not release frozen Russian assets, and there were more casualties in Russian strikes.
For the past few months, Trump has made ending the Russia-Ukraine war his priority. His election campaign promised that he would end the war soon after coming to power, but no ceasefire has been finalised so far. His meeting with Vladimir Putin in August was also fruitless.
“Whenever I talk to Vladimir, the conversation is good, but nothing progresses,” Trump said. “
On Wednesday, the Trump administration imposed new sanctions on two of Russia’s largest oil companies. This is the first time that Washington has taken direct economic action against Russia. The Kremlin described the sanctions as “ineffective”.
Trump confirmed that his meeting with Xi Jinping on Thursday would discuss trade relations as well as the war in Ukraine. “I have a very good relationship with President Xi,” he said. They also want the war to end.
” Earlier this week, Trump said that “Xi can have a big impact on Putin.” “
Beijing has never criticised Russia’s war and continues to support Moscow with Russian oil purchases and deliveries of dual-use goods, which China denies.
Putin and Xi Jinping have repeatedly described their relationship as “unlimited friendship.” Russia hopes gas exports to China and other Asian countries will compensate for losses in Western markets.
The meeting between Putin, Xi and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in Beijing last month was a clear demonstration of Russia, China and Pyongyang’s strong alliance and military cooperation.
While Trump was making these remarks on Air Force One, there were new incidents of Russian attacks in Ukraine. Dozens of people were killed in several cities, including the capital Kyiv. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy wrote on Telegram: “No country can be left alone in the face of such evil. “
Meanwhile, after a dam was targeted in Russia’s Belgorod region, local residents were instructed to evacuate the area due to the threat of possible flooding.
