China has put forward a proposal for a summit between Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Donald Trump as part of efforts to mediate an end to the war in Ukraine, according to a Wall Street Journal report citing sources familiar with the matter.
In recent weeks, Chinese officials have approached Trump’s team through intermediaries, suggesting that Beijing could help facilitate a meeting between the two leaders and assist in peacekeeping efforts following a potential truce, the newspaper reported, citing sources in both Washington and Beijing.
When asked about the report at a routine press briefing on Thursday, a spokesperson for China’s Foreign Ministry said he had “no information to offer.”
Trump revealed that he had spoken separately with both Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Wednesday, and that they had expressed a desire for peace. Following these conversations, Trump instructed top U.S. officials to “begin talks on ending the war in Ukraine.”
The Kremlin confirmed that Putin and Trump had agreed to meet, with the Russian president inviting Trump to visit Moscow. Trump later stated that their first meeting would “probably” take place in Saudi Arabia.
China, in response to these developments, welcomed greater dialogue between Washington and Moscow. “China is happy to see Russia and the United States strengthen communication on a series of international issues,” said Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun, adding that “Russia and the United States are both influential major countries.”
Since the early months of the war—now nearing its third anniversary—there have been no direct peace negotiations. Trump’s predecessor, Joe Biden, had no direct contact with Putin after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
China reiterated its position that diplomacy is the only way to resolve the conflict. “China has always believed that dialogue and negotiation are the only viable way to resolve the crisis and has always insisted on promoting peace and dialogue,” Guo said. “China supports all efforts conducive to a peaceful resolution of the crisis, and will continue to maintain communication with relevant parties and continue to play a constructive role in promoting a political solution to the crisis.”
Western countries have repeatedly urged China to use its close ties with Russia to help bring an end to the war. While Beijing maintains that it is not directly involved in the conflict, it has consistently pushed for peace talks under its own terms.
However, a report released by Estonia’s foreign intelligence agency on February 13 presents a different side of China’s involvement. The agency states that China is significantly aiding Russia’s military drone production by acting as a hub for smuggling critical Western components to Moscow’s armed forces. According to its annual national security report published on Wednesday, around 80% of these components reaching Russia now come from China. Meanwhile, previous Ukrainian reports suggest that approximately 60% of foreign parts found in Russian weapons on the battlefield in Ukraine have been sourced through China.
Last year, China and Brazil jointly proposed an international peace conference to be held “at a proper time,” calling for “equal participation by both Ukraine and Russia.”
Russia currently occupies roughly one-fifth of Ukraine and has insisted that Kyiv must cede additional territory and adopt permanent neutrality as part of any peace agreement. Ukraine, on the other hand, demands a full Russian withdrawal and seeks NATO membership or equivalent security guarantees to prevent future attacks by Moscow.
