Beijing rejects claims Xi warned Trump about Putin and Ukraine
Photo: Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun (Getty Images)
Beijing has officially denied reports claiming that Chinese leader Xi Jinping told US President Donald Trump during their meeting that Russian dictator Vladimir Putin would regret the war against Ukraine, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun reports during a briefing.
China’s Foreign Ministry called the Western media reports fake. According to the spokesperson, the published claims have nothing to do with reality.
“The information in question contradicts the facts and is pure fabrication,” Guo Jiakun stressed.
What preceded this
The Financial Times, citing several sources familiar with Washington’s assessment of the recent talks, reported on an unexpected statement allegedly made by the Chinese leader.
According to the report, Xi Jinping supposedly told Trump directly during the US president’s visit to Beijing that the Russian president could regret his decision to launch the full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Journalists noted that Xi had never previously made such assessments of the Kremlin’s actions either publicly or privately.
One source familiar with Xi Jinping’s previous meetings with former US President Joe Biden said that despite “frank and direct” conversations about the war, the Chinese leader had always avoided personal judgments about Putin or the conflict itself.
Putin’s upcoming visit to China
According to media reports, Vladimir Putin plans to visit China on May 20. The Kremlin described the trip as part of “routine contacts” between Moscow and Beijing. The Russian leader is expected to stay in China for just one day.
The meeting will take place shortly after Xi Jinping’s talks with Donald Trump. It marks the second time this year that the Chinese leader has held diplomatic contacts with Trump and Putin almost back-to-back.
RBC-Ukraine previously reported that during Putin’s upcoming visit to China, the two sides plan to discuss cooperation and international issues of mutual interest.
