Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Friday about recent talks with the United States. Following the phone call, the White House confirmed that President Trump and Putin will meet on August 15 in Alaska.
According to Chinese state broadcaster CCTV, Putin expressed a desire to maintain close coordination with China while signaling openness to direct talks with the U.S. Russian media echoed the sentiment. Xi welcomed renewed Russia-U.S. dialogue and voiced support for a political resolution to the Ukraine conflict, stating, “China welcomes Russia-US contacts, improving relations and advancing political settlement of Ukrainian crisis.”
Putin’s outreach follows a Thursday announcement from the Kremlin that he had requested a meeting with Trump to discuss ending the war in Ukraine. President Trump had previously imposed a Friday deadline for Russia to agree to a ceasefire, warning of expanded sanctions if no progress was made.
This article has been updated.
