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.

Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping pledged to take China-Russian relations to a “higher level”, hours after Donald Trump took office. The pair spoke over the phone on Monday and discussed future relations with the United States, the war in Ukraine and Taiwan.

Following Trump's inauguration, Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin held a virtual meeting to strengthen bilateral relations between China and Russia.

Chinese President Xi Jinping held a meeting with Russian leader Vladimir Putin via a video link on Tuesday, state broadcaster CCTV reported. The talks came hours after US President Donald Trump returned to the White House and said he would meet Putin “very soon”.

Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin held a video conference on Tuesday to reaffirm and enhance the

The wave at the start says it all.

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

Trump said that China holds great power in resolving the current situation and expressed willingness to work together to end the war in Ukraine. He also said Ukraine was ready for a deal.

Speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, via video link, Mr Trump says US efforts to secure a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine were hopefully underway

Vladimir Putin expressed his condolences to President of the People's Republic of China Xi Jinping over the earthquake that struck China's Tibet Autonomous Region. “Please, accept most sincere condolences on the tragic aftermath of the ...