Russian President Vladimir Putin smiled and waved enthusiastically to his Chinese counterpart during virtual talks on Tuesday.

Chinese leader Xi Jinping may push Russian President Vladimir Putin towards peace, as Russia's economy heavily depends on China, states Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in an interview with Bloomberg.

President Volodymyr Zelensky believes only the leaders of the United States and China, Donald Trump and Xi Jinping, could push Russian dictator Vladimir Putin to peace. — Ukrinform.

Chinese President Xi Jinping reaffirmed ties with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on Tuesday, as the two face a more geopolitically assertive US government led by Donald Trump, who criticised the Kremlin's war against Ukraine on the first day of his second term as president.

President Donald Trump is threatening to impose stiff taxes, tariffs and sanctions on Russia if an agreement isn’t reached to end the war in Ukraine.

The two leaders have developed strong personal ties that helped boost relations between Moscow and Beijing, growing even closer after Putin sent troops into Ukraine in 2022.

The ‘dear friends’ discuss Taiwan, the war in Ukraine, and future relations with the US, pledging to ‘defend their legitimate interests’

FILE PHOTO: Russia's President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping take part in an official welcoming ceremony for delegations' heads at the BRICS summit in Kazan, Russia, 23 October 2024. MAXIM SHIPENKOV/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo

Putin and Xi praised strong bilateral ties, highlighting shared interests and global stability, as Trump began his term as the 47th US president.

BEIJING: Chinese President Xi Jinping said that a stable and resilient relationship between China and Russia will help address uncertainties in the external world during talks with Russian Preside

Vladimir Putin held talks, via videoconference, with President of the People’s Republic of China Xi Jinping. Beginning of talks with President of the People’s Republic of China Xi Jinping