Xi and Putin Virtually Meet After Trump’s Swearing-in

January 22, 2025

(3 Minutes Read)

Both Kremlin and Beijing sources termed the telephonic conversation which lasted for more than one and a half hours as pre-planned and had nothing to do with Trump’s taking over as President nor with various executive orders he signed or are in the pipeline.

Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke with Chinese President Xi Jinping and emphasized their close ties. The discussions between the two world leaders, who are close allies, assume importance since it had happened just a day after Donald Trump was sworn in as the 47th U.S. president.

However, both Kremlin and Beijing sources termed the telephonic conversation which lasted for more than one and a half hours as pre-planned and had nothing to do with Trump’s taking over as President nor with various executive orders he signed or are in the pipeline.

However, Kremlin sources said that both leaders were in touch with their respective Trump Administration contacts to gain more insights into the development and to gauge what are the other possible developments in the long conversation.

Of late, both Russia and China have become close allies both in strategic and commercial relations. That has become more obvious after Putin sent troops into Ukraine in 2022. China has become a major Russian oil and gas customer and a source of key technologies amid sweeping Western sanctions on Moscow.

Analysts feel that many issues would have been discussed at the virtual meeting other than the pleasantries and hyperbolas that have come out from the official statements issued by both sources.

In the official statement that was issued by the Kremlin, Putin emphasized that Russia-China relations are based on shared interests, equality, and mutual benefits. In remarks carried by Russian state TV, Putin told Xi that Joint efforts by Russia and China play an important stabilising role in global affairs.

Xi Ping praised their close cooperation, expressing his readiness to work with Putin. He emphasized that Russia and China should continue to deepen strategic cooperation, firmly support each other, and safeguard the legitimate interests of the two countries.