'Completely False': China Rejects Report That Xi Told Trump Putin May 'Regret' Ukraine War

Last Updated:May 19, 2026, 20:33 IST

The report said that Xi allegedly made the remark during a private meeting with Trump, who recently visited China.

China on Tuesday rejected a report by the Financial Times claiming that President Xi Jinping told US President Donald Trump that Russian President Vladimir Putin could “end up regretting" his invasion of Ukraine.

In a post on X, a spokesperson for China’s foreign ministry shared a screenshot of the report and responded with just two words: “Completely false."

The Financial Times had reported that Xi made the remarks during a private meeting with Trump in Beijing, suggesting the Russian leader may eventually regret launching the war in Ukraine.

The report also said the comments went further than Xi’s usual public position, where Beijing has avoided directly criticising Moscow.

According to the newspaper, the discussion took place during wide-ranging talks that also covered global security issues, including the war in Ukraine. It cited people familiar with the US assessment of the meeting.

The report also claimed that Trump had proposed broader cooperation between the US, China and Russia on international issues, including opposition to the International Criminal Court.

Meanwhile, the Trump administration has released a fact sheet on the Beijing summit on Sunday, but it contained no mention of conversations about Putin or the war in Ukraine.

The report comes at a sensitive diplomatic moment, as Russian President Vladimir Putin is set to visit Beijing for a high-level summit with Xi Jinping on Tuesday. The visit marks his 25th trip to China and is expected to focus on strengthening strategic ties between the two countries.

Beijing and Moscow have significantly deepened their partnership since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, with regular leadership exchanges and growing economic cooperation.

China has continued to present itself as a neutral party in the conflict, calling for peace talks while avoiding direct condemnation of Russia. Western governments, however, have accused Beijing of providing diplomatic and economic support to Moscow.

(With inputs from AFP)

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