Russian President Vladimir Putin has reacted to the closely watched meeting between United States President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping, dismissing suggestions that Moscow could be envious of closer ties between Washington and Beijing.
Xi recently concluded a three-day state visit to the United States, where he held talks with Trump as both countries sought to strengthen bilateral relations and address key areas of disagreement.
Speaking at a press conference on the sidelines of the United Cultures Forum in St. Petersburg, Putin was asked whether he was “jealous” of the meeting between Trump and Xi and the possibility of a trilateral meeting involving Russia, the US and China at the forthcoming APEC summit.
Putin rejected the characterization, saying jealousy was more applicable to personal relationships than international affairs.
“Jealousy is something from a completely different area of a humanitarian nature—relationships between men and women,” he said. “In politics, in international politics, such categories are not really used.”
The Russian leader welcomed the US-China negotiations, saying Moscow would support “any agreement of a positive nature” between the two countries.
He noted that the United States and China are the world’s two largest economies and said decisions taken by both countries have significant implications for the direction of global affairs.
However, Putin remained uncertain about whether he would attend the upcoming APEC summit in China, saying his participation would depend on developments and events in Russia.
Addressing concerns raised by European leaders over a possible Russian attack, Putin dismissed the allegations as “complete nonsense,” accusing European governments of attempting to mislead their citizens.
He also criticised Estonia’s Defence Minister, Martin Herem, over calls for military mobilisation in preparation for a possible conflict, mocking Estonia’s population size in comparison with Russia’s military.
On the war in Ukraine, Putin said proposals aimed at reaching a settlement remained on the table, but stressed that Russia would assess any terms before deciding on its next steps.
He also indicated that Moscow could be prepared to resume diplomatic engagement with Kyiv following Ukraine’s parliamentary elections, while accusing Ukraine of targeting polling stations in Moscow.
Putin further blamed recent escalation in the conflict on attacks against civilian sites, including warehouses belonging to Wildberries and Ozon, saying Russia had responded to what he described as each of the attacks.
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