Xi Jinping’s Caution for Putin Amid Ukraine Conflict
On Monday, during a meeting with President Donald Trump, Chinese leader Xi Jinping reportedly suggested that Russian President Vladimir Putin might come to regret his decision to invade Ukraine, according to a report from the Financial Times.
This comment stands out, considering China’s reluctance to openly condemn Russia’s actions in Ukraine. While maintaining that it does not actively support the invasion, China has, in some ways, helped Russia mitigate the impact of international sanctions following its aggressive actions.
It’s intriguing to consider that Xi, a close ally of Putin, could convey such concerns—however private they may have been—in a conversation with the U.S. president. If he genuinely believes that Putin made a grave error in judgment, this could potentially influence Russia’s willingness to continue a war that has been dragging on for four years, marked by significant losses and escalating costs.
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On Tuesday, China’s Foreign Ministry reacted quickly, asserting that the Financial Times report was “completely false.” This firm rebuttal signals some irritation at the claims.
President Trump also denied the assertions, claiming Xi “didn’t say that.” However, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov referred back to China’s denial as the final word. While the Financial Times acknowledged these denials, it maintained confidence in its sources, which included multiple individuals familiar with the discussions during the summit.
Further complicating China’s neutrality stance, a report by Reuters indicated that in late 2025, around 200 Russian troops had engaged in covert training in China, focusing on drone warfare. Some of these soldiers have since returned to the conflict in Ukraine with new skills.
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Some of the Russians trained in China are reportedly high-ranking military instructors, likely to share their insights with frontline Russian forces in Ukraine. This training initiative stems from a “Russia-China Dual Language Agreement” signed by military officials from both nations in July 2025, specifying locations for secret training, including in Beijing.
Reuters linked this agreement with an internal Russian military document from late 2025 that detailed the training of Russian personnel in China. According to these documents, trainees are learning various drone warfare strategies, such as using drones for targeting mortars and artillery, and deploying electronic warfare devices against enemy drones.
Some of these Russian military reports even include images of soldiers participating in classes conducted by Chinese instructors, which contradicts China’s usual disclaimers about accidental military cooperation with Russia being voluntary and not linked to government direction.
Previous reports have suggested that China has been instrumental in enhancing Russia’s drone capabilities, yet the Chinese government has insisted this was merely private sector cooperation, not something orchestrated by the state.
An anonymous intelligence figure shared with Reuters that by providing training to Russian forces at a tactical level, China is more directly engaged in the European conflict than has been previously understood.
While China’s Foreign Ministry stopped short of outright denial about the training report, it reiterated the same old rhetoric about maintaining an “objective and impartial stance” in the Ukraine situation, which many view with skepticism given the emerging details.
