Xi, Trump, and Putin — "He could come to regret it…"

According to several sources familiar with the U.S. assessment of last week’s summit in Beijing, the Chinese president made these comments during extensive talks that also covered the war in Ukraine, while Trump suggested that the three leaders should cooperate against the International Criminal Court.

Xi Jinping reportedly went further than in previous conversations regarding Vladimir Putin’s decision to launch the invasion of a neighboring country in 2022.

Xi, according to the reports, mentioned Putin at a moment when Russia’s war against Ukraine, after several years, had turned into a stalemate, particularly due to increasingly successful Ukrainian drone attacks on Russian forces and targets.

• New geopolitical axis: Putin heads to China for key talks with Xi

Tanjug/Sergei Bobylev, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP, File

This information comes at a time when Putin is preparing to travel to China for a summit with Xi, just four days after the Chinese leader hosted the U.S. president for only their second meeting since Trump returned to the White House.

Putin launched the invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, just three weeks after a visit to China during which he and Xi declared a “no limits partnership.”