Xi Jinping Told Donald Trump That Vladimir Putin Might Regret The Ukraine Invasion: Report

Last Updated:May 19, 2026, 11:50 IST

Russia and China had declared a “no-limits partnership” shortly before Moscow launched its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

Trump-Jinping Meet: Chinese President Xi Jinping reportedly told his US counterpart Donald Trump during the latter’s visit to Beijing last week that Russian President Vladimir Putin may eventually regret his decision to invade Ukraine, Financial Times reported.

As per the report citing people familiar with the US assessment of last week’s summit in Beijing, the Chinese leader made the remarks during wide-ranging discussions that included the war in Ukraine and included a proposal by Trump that the three leaders cooperate against the International Criminal Court (ICC).

Xi’s comments about Putin’s decision to launch his full-scale invasion of Russia’s neighbour in 2022 appeared to go further than in the past.

A person familiar with Xi’s earlier meetings with former US President Joe Biden said that the two leaders had open and honest discussions about Russia and Ukraine, but Xi had never directly shared his personal view on Putin or the war before.

The Trump administration released a fact sheet on the Beijing summit on Sunday, but it contained no mention of conversations about Putin or the war in Ukraine.

The news outlet further claimed that Trump suggested the US, China and Russia should cooperate against the International Criminal Court, arguing that their interests were aligned. The Trump administration has previously criticised the ICC, accusing it of political bias and overreach.

The report came just as Putin was preparing to visit China for talks with Xi, four days after Xi hosted Trump in Beijing. Russia and China had declared a “no-limits partnership" shortly before Moscow launched its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

Putin’s latest trip also marks 25 years since Russia and China signed a friendship treaty under former Chinese President Jiang Zemin.

The Russia-Ukraine war has largely reached a stalemate after more than four years of fighting. Ukraine has increasingly relied on drone warfare to strike Russian military targets, including areas near Moscow.

The Biden administration frequently accused China of providing dual-use items to Russia that helped it sustain its campaign against Ukraine. The Trump administration has also raised concerns, but less frequently.

US Congressman Brendan Boyle said Ukraine had “reinvented warfare" through the use of drones, describing it as a major shift in modern combat.

“The brave Ukrainians … have reinvented warfare in much the same way the first world war reinvented warfare for the 21st century," Boyle said as quoted by the report.

Ukraine on Sunday conducted drone strikes against targets near Moscow that President Volodymyr Zelensky stressed were “entirely justified" after Russia last week launched a record aerial attack on Kyiv.

The Ukraine conflict remains Europe’s deadliest war since World War II and has severely damaged Russia’s ties with Western countries.

While Putin recently claimed that the war may be “coming to an end," the Kremlin has also maintained that Russia will continue military operations until its objectives are achieved.

News world Xi Jinping Told Donald Trump That Vladimir Putin Might Regret The Ukraine Invasion: Report

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