Trump says he doesn’t want close ties between Russia and China following a phone call with Putin

US President Donald Trump is cautious about Russia and China developing close ties. Trump shared his plans to improve relations with both countries following a call with Vladimir Putin on 18th March. However, he is not in favor of their unity against the US on the world front.

Trump referenced himself as a “student of history” while talking to Fox News in a recent interview. He said, “I’ve watched it all. The first thing you learn is that you don’t want Russia and China to get together.”

Trump’s statement comes right after his phone call with Vladimir Putin.

The President questioned the authenticity of ties between Russia and China. He believes that their ties are not “natural.” The Republican leader added, “They’re probably friendly now, but we’re going to be friendly with both.”

According to a Bloomberg report, some analysts see Trump’s friendly attitude towards Russia as a strategic move to weaken the ties between Moscow and Beijing. They call it “reverse Nixon” in reference to US efforts to divide the two powers during the Cold War. Marco Rubio rejected this idea. He agreed that the US does not want Russia to become China’s junior partner. However, there’s also a realization that conflict between these neighboring superpowers can harm “global stability.”

In 2022, before Moscow invaded Ukraine, the Chinese president declared a friendship with Russia with “no limits.” Access to China’s markets was an economic relief for Russia as US sanctions left the country in isolation.

China has appreciated Russia for engaging in discussions with the U.S. about ending the war. At the same time, it dismissed any efforts of division between China and Russia, insisting that such attempts are “doomed to fail.”

China relies on U.S. Trade, and Russia seeks economic benefits, says Trump

In the interview, Trump added that the ties between China and Russia are the result of “bad energy policies” in Obama’s presidency.

The U.S. leader claims that countries like China were given an unfair economic advantage because they were allowed to continue using coal power. At the same time, previous U.S. administrations were restricted to clean energy policies.

Since becoming the president in his latest term, Trump has held talks with Putin already. However, he still has to hold a talk with China, which currently stands as the world’s second-largest, despite the recent hikes in tariffs. Regarding potential talks with China’s Xi, Trump recently said, “He’ll be coming [to Washington] … in the not-too-distant future.”

Trump insisted, “China needs us in terms of trade very badly, but we have to straighten out the deficit. And with Russia, they would like to have some of our economic power.”

Trump’s comments came after his phone call with Vladimir Putin

President Trump and President Putin held a lengthy phone call on March 18, lasting an estimated two or more hours. Ukraine was front and center during their discussion, but other subjects were also discussed. The conversation came after a U.S. meeting with Ukrainian officials where President Zelensky agreed to a 30-day ceasefire.

Russia appears to have dialed down some of its earlier demands for Ukrainian submission in favor of near-term, more modest steps. The Kremlin’s readout underlined a prisoner exchange set for March 19: 175 individuals from each side, plus 23 wounded Ukrainian servicemen. This exchange is considered a goodwill measure.

Trump and Putin also talked about improving relations between the US and Russia. Relations between the two countries have been complicated, as various Russian diplomatic missions in the United States got blocked in recent years. Russia is especially keen to reopen consulates in San Francisco and Seattle.

On the war front, the leaders agreed on a partial ceasefire targeting energy and infrastructure sites. Despite Ukraine’s earlier pledge to adopt a broader 30-day ceasefire, this new arrangement stops short of halting front-line fighting. Deep strikes on military assets will likely continue, while infrastructure attacks are supposed to pause. The maritime ceasefire would be the next priority, followed by a “complete ceasefire.”

Trump and Putin also signaled agreement that Iran should never be able to destroy Israel, implying common ground on nuclear containment. Still, some experts question Russia’s depth of commitment, given Iran’s assistance to Moscow’s operations in Ukraine.

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