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.

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

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

Russia wants the settlement to not be some kind of short-term truce but a long-term peace based on respect for our objective interests

China's President Xi Jinping spoke with Russia's Vladimir Putin over video call on Tuesday, Chinese national broadcaster CCTV said.

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”.

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.

In the 1.5-hour video call, the leaders discussed the need to “cope with the uncertainty of the external environment”.

Vladimir Putin’s forces have suffered nearly 2,000 casualties in a single day, Ukraine’s military has claimed, in what would mark one of the deadliest 24 hours of fighting since the war began.Kyiv’s military claimed the vast toll as another day of intense fighting unfolded,

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

Beijing has pledged to elevate the relationship with Moscow to new heights this year, hours after Donald Trump was sworn in as the 47th US President.The Chinese President Xi Jinping, during a video conference with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday,