US President Donald Trump speaks during a press conference at the White House in Washington, D.C., the United States, on Jan. 30, 2025. (Xinhua/Hu Yousong)

In response to a question regarding the phone call between US president Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday during which issues including Ukraine situation were discussed, Guo Jiakun, spokesperson of China's foreign ministry, said both Russia and the US are major countries with influence. China is glad to see enhanced communication and dialogue between Russia and the US on a number of international issues.

On the Ukraine crisis, China believes that dialogue and negotiation is the only viable way out of the crisis and has been committed to promoting talks for peace, Guo said. 

One day after the conflict started, President Xi Jinping proposed finding a political settlement through dialogue. China supports all effort conducive to the peaceful settlement of the crisis, and will maintain communication with relevant parties and play a constructive role in promoting the political settlement of the crisis, the spokesperson said.

Trump discussed the conflict in Ukraine on Wednesday in phone calls with Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Trump said later that Putin agreed that Washington and Moscow will immediately engage in direct negotiations aimed at ending the Ukraine-Russia conflict.

"I just had a lengthy and highly productive phone call with President Vladimir Putin of Russia," Trump said, offering his version of the content of the call in a post on Truth Social. 

Trump said he and Putin agreed that "we want to stop the millions of deaths taking place in the War with Russia/Ukraine."

"We agreed to work together, very closely, including visiting each other's Nations. We have also agreed to have our respective teams start negotiations immediately, and we will begin by calling President Zelensky of Ukraine, to inform him of the conversation, something which I will be doing right now," Trump said in the post. 

He said he has asked US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Director of the Central Intelligence Agency John Ratcliffe, National Security Advisor Michael Waltz and Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff to lead the US team in the negotiations.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Putin supported Trump's idea that the time had come to work together, according to BBC. 

The phone call between Putin and Trump lasted nearly an hour-and-a-half, during which the Russian president extended an invitation to visit Moscow, Peskov said.

Zelensky said on social media platform X that "we long talked about opportunities to achieve peace, discussed our readiness to work together at the team level." 

The Ukrainian leader noted that Trump shared details of his conversation with Putin. 

Zelensky also said he discussed Ukraine's technological capabilities with Trump, including drones and other advanced industries, as well as the preparation of a new document on bilateral security, economic cooperation, and resource partnership.

US to withdrawal at minimal sacrifice 

The phone call capped a flurry of activity that underscored Trump's intent to follow through quickly with his campaign pledges and ditch former President Joe Biden's approach, which explicitly avoided direct US-Russia contact in favor of letting Ukraine take the lead, the Bloomberg reported. 

Trump's phone calls with both Putin and Zelensky can be seen as his attempt to fulfill his campaign promise to end the Russia-Ukraine conflict; however, how much impact such calls could have on the end of the conflict remains to be seen, Li Haidong, a professor at the China Foreign Affairs University, told the Global Times.

The Russia-Ukraine conflict is extremely intense, with a significant gap in demands from Russian and Ukrainian sides. Without external forces intervening to mediate, it is quite difficult to break the deadlock. However, it is still too early to say that the conflict has reached a turning point, Cui Heng, a scholar from the Shanghai-based China National Institute for SCO International Exchange and Judicial Cooperation, told the Global Times. 

After the phone call, Trump said on Wednesday he did not think it was practical for Ukraine to join NATO and that it was unlikely Ukraine will get back all of its land, according to Reuters.

Li explained that the US president attempts to end the Russia-Ukraine conflict in a way that minimizes sacrifices for the US. Such a stance could not be regarded as a turning point.

The US wants to extricate itself from the ongoing conflict so to shift its focus to the Asia-Pacific region, Li noted. 

US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth said on Wednesday that the conflict between Ukraine and Russia "must end," that Kiev joining NATO is unrealistic and that the US will no longer prioritize European and Ukrainian security as the Trump administration shifts its attention to securing the US' own borders and deterring war with China, CNN reported.

The Russia-Ukraine conflict is essentially the eruption of contradictions in the post-Cold War European security order. Russia demands that NATO halt its eastward expansion and redefine the European security framework, while the West insists on maintaining the existing order. This fundamental divergence is difficult to resolve through partial negotiations, Cui noted. 

European powers, including UK, France and Germany, said on Wednesday they had to be part of any future negotiations on the fate of Ukraine, underscoring that only a fair accord with security guarantees would ensure lasting peace. They said they were ready to enhance support for Ukraine and put it in a position of strength, per Reuters.