One day after President Trump pledged at his inauguration to be a “peacemaker and unifier,” the U.S.’s two most powerful adversaries agreed to work more closely on overhauling a world order they see as orbiting around the West. In a video call on Tuesday, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese leader Xi Jinping promised to work hand-in-hand, in what could prove to be the first indication of a new phase in their deepening confrontation with Washington .
Neither side mentioned the U.S. president in statements released after the call. But with global attention focused on Trump’s return to office and the flurry of executive orders he has signed, Beijing and Moscow made clear they are still reading from the same page, whatever is happening in Washington.
The Kremlin ensured nobody missed the point. In an unusual move, it published footage from the conversation on its website, showing Putin and Xi exchanging cordial greetings, calling each other “dear friend,” and issuing brief statements about their growing ties in a short clip from a call that Russia said lasted more than 90 minutes.
“Both sides should continue to deepen strategic coordination, firmly support one another, and safeguard both countries’ legitimate interests,” Xi said on the call, according to a readout by the Chinese side. Putin said there was an “alignment of views on how relations between great powers should be.”
Yury Ushakov , a senior adviser to Putin, said the two leaders talked about the need for a peace deal in Ukraine and discussed the situation in the Middle East, according to Russian state media. Putin stressed Russia’s support for China over the question of Taiwan, Ushakov said. He said the call was planned in advance and not tied to Trump’s inauguration.
Days before thousands of Russian troops crossed into Ukraine as part of a massive invasion force in February 2022, Russia and China declared a “no limits” partnership . They have since deepened ties, aligning on the goal of challenging the U.S.’s influence in the world. Xi and Putin met three times last year, and officials from their governments have shuttled between the two countries.
China is Russia’s biggest trading partner , and Moscow’s ability to weather a barrage of Western economic sanctions in recent years owes much to its expanding trade with Beijing. China has been supporting Russia’s economy by buying its oil and supplying it with everything from washing machines to microelectronics, which can be crucial in the production of weapons.
They have also worked together in a bid to undermine the U.S. dollar’s status as the world’s reserve currency. Almost all transactions between China and Russia are now conducted in rubles and yuan, a senior Putin adviser said Tuesday.
Trade reached a record $240 billion last year, fueled by Russian oil sales. Almost two-thirds of newly sold cars in Russia are Chinese. But while China accounts for around a third of Russia’s overall trade, Russia makes up a very small proportion of China’s . The oil and natural gas Russia sends are exports that China could, if it chose to, get elsewhere.
New banking sanctions imposed by the U.S. late last year exposed the vulnerability of Russia’s economy despite its robust response to recent pressure, plunging the ruble to its lowest level since the early days of the conflict in Ukraine.
For Beijing, Russia offers crucial lessons on how Western sanctions can be circumvented . Those lessons may come in particularly handy for China in the event of an armed conflict over Taiwan, and as Trump promises to turbocharge the use of tariffs as a tool for negotiation and coercion. The U.S. already restricts exports of advanced chips to China and has taken measures against telecommunications giant Huawei.
The U.S. has accused China of providing Russia with dual-use goods that help the invasion of Ukraine. Beijing has backed Russia diplomatically over Ukraine, accusing the U.S. of stoking the war with weapons supplies to Kyiv.
On Monday, Putin congratulated Trump on his re-election, saying he was willing to engage the U.S. in peace talks to end the war in Ukraine.
Trump responded by criticizing Russia’s invasion. He suggested Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky was willing to end the war, but Russia might not be.
Referring to Putin, Trump said, “He’s destroying Russia by not making a deal.”
Write to Matthew Luxmoore at matthew.luxmoore@wsj.com