Chinese leader Xi Jinping vowed to take his country’s ties with Russia to a new level this year in a video conference with counterpart Vladimir Putin on Tuesday, hours after the inauguration of US President Donald Trump.

Chinese President Xi Jinping reaffirmed ties with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on Tuesday, as the two face a more geopolitically assertive US government led by Donald Trump, who criticised the Kremlin's war against Ukraine on the first day of his second term as president.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has had a call with Chinese President Xi Jinping, emphasizing the two countries’ close ties, a day after Donald Trump was sworn in as the 47th U.S. president.

Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping pledged to take China-Russian relations to a “higher level”, hours after Donald Trump took office. The pair spoke over the phone on Monday and discussed future relations with the United States, the war in Ukraine and Taiwan.

Russian leader Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping held a telephone conversation on 21 January, during which they stressed the need to deepen cooperation between the two countries in the political,

Chinese President Xi Jinping held a meeting with Russian leader Vladimir Putin via a video link on Tuesday, state broadcaster CCTV reported. The talks came hours after US President Donald Trump returned to the White House and said he would meet Putin “very soon”.

Speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, via video link, Mr Trump says US efforts to secure a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine were hopefully underway

In the 1.5-hour video call, the leaders discussed the need to “cope with the uncertainty of the external environment”.

Putin and Xi praised strong bilateral ties, highlighting shared interests and global stability, as Trump began his term as the 47th US president.

Trump said that China holds great power in resolving the current situation and expressed willingness to work together to end the war in Ukraine. He also said Ukraine was ready for a deal.

Vladimir Putin expressed his condolences to President of the People's Republic of China Xi Jinping over the earthquake that struck China's Tibet Autonomous Region. “Please, accept most sincere condolences on the tragic aftermath of the ...