Xi told Trump Putin may regret Ukraine invasion, sources say

Chinese President Xi Jinping told his US counterpart Donald Trump that Russian leader Vladimir Putin might come to regret invading Ukraine, according to the Financial Times. The remark was made during wide-ranging talks between the US and Chinese delegations in Beijing last week, just days before Putin was due to arrive in China on Tuesday for his own summit with Xi. Trump also suggested that the United States, China, and Russia should cooperate against the International Criminal Court, arguing that the interests of all three countries are aligned on this issue. The US government has imposed sanctions against ICC members due to investigations into American and Israeli actions, while the ICC issued an arrest warrant for Putin in 2023 over the war in Ukraine. China, Russia, and the United States are not parties to the Rome Statute that established the court. Ahead of his visit to Beijing, Putin stated that Russia and China are ready to support each other on issues affecting their core interests, including the protection of sovereignty and national unity. The Russian president said relations between Moscow and Beijing have reached an unprecedented level of mutual understanding and trust, and that the two countries are actively expanding cooperation in economy, politics, and defense. Putin said their strategic partnership is playing a stabilizing role in global relations, though he emphasized they are not aligning against anyone but working for peace and universal prosperity. The Kremlin stated it has very serious expectations for the trip, with the Russian delegation including relevant deputy prime ministers, government ministers, and company heads. Meanwhile, Russia continued its military campaign against Ukraine with nighttime drone and missile barrages that injured more than two dozen civilians, including three children, according to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Russian forces fired 524 attack drones and 22 ballistic and cruise missiles across eight regions of Ukraine, with the city of Dnipro bearing the brunt of the attack. The strikes came despite a brief ceasefire that Trump said he asked both leaders to observe earlier this month. Moscow said it expects the Ukraine peace process to be resumed but that it is currently paused, while there remains no clear sign of a peace deal taking shape despite ongoing US diplomatic efforts to end the four-year conflict.