Russian President Vladimir Putin attends the SCO Summit in Tianjin, Highlighting deepening ties between Moscow, Beijing and New Delhi amid tensions with Washington [Image by Al Jazeera]
(The Post News) – Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Tuesday that the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump now listens to Moscow’s explanations about the war in Ukraine, pointing to what he called a “mutual understanding” with Washington.
Putin likened Trump to his predecessor, former President Joe Biden, during the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit in Tianjin, China. “The Trump administration is listening to us. Now we see this mutual understanding; it’s noticeable,” Putin stated at a bilateral meeting with Slovak President Robert Fico following talks with Chinese leader Xi Jinping.
While Putin was optimistic about discussions, Trump has threatened “severe consequences” if Moscow continues ignoring peace efforts led by Washington. A resolution to the more-than-three-year-old conflict still remains among the top items on Trump’s foreign policy agenda. The two leaders met last month for a high-level summit in Alaska, where Trump urged Putin to speed up peace efforts.
Putin’s Red Lines on Ukraine
Putin showed some flexibility on post-war arrangements. He said that Russia and the U.S. could reach an accord on security guarantees for Ukraine. “It seems to me that there is an opportunity to find consensus,” Putin said, without going into detail.
However, he restated that Moscow would never accept Ukraine’s accession to NATO, labeling Western attempts to expand the alliance a “direct threat” to Russian security. He softened his position regarding Ukrainian membership in the European Union, stating that he had “never objected” to Kyiv’s EU aspirations. Another flashpoint, the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, was raised in Putin’s address. He said Moscow can cooperate with Washington and Kyiv on the plant’s safety “if favorable conditions are created.”
A Show of Unity at the SCO Summit
Putin was speaking as he sat down with Xi Jinping and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the SCO summit. The meeting highlighted the degree to which Russia, China, and India are all on the same side against Western influence.
The three leaders were pictured relaxed in casual photos:Modi held Putin’s hand as they walked towards Xi and later traveled together with the Russian leader in a vehicle. The camaraderie was a strong signal of unity in the face of increasing U.S. pressure.
Xi used the address to denounce Western “bullying behavior” by the great powers, and Putin justified Russia’s invasion of Ukraine as a reaction to NATO’s expansion. Modi praised cordial ties with Moscow, saying, “In the most trying times, India and Russia have always marched shoulder to shoulder.” China and India remain the largest buyers of Russian crude, allowing Moscow to defy Western sanctions. The two nations also ignored Trump’s punitive tariffs, which Washington says are designed to stop funding for Russia’s war.
Slovakia’s Robert Fico has emerged as a most significant ally for Putin within the European Union. Fico told Putin that he wished to “normalize relations” and expand business ties with Moscow. Slovakia, Hungary, and the Czech Republic continue to receive Russian oil under an EU exemption.
Fico will also meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy later this week in Uzhorod to discuss Kyiv’s recent strikes on Russian energy infrastructure, including the Druzhba oil pipeline. Slovakia and Hungary condemned the strikes, accusing Ukraine of escalating the conflict. Whereas Putin speaks of “understandings” with Trump, Western leaders doubt his motives. They accuse the Kremlin of using talks as a stalling tactic while pressing its military offensive on Ukraine’s eastern frontier.
Ukraine, knowing the U.S. aid could be short-lived, has embarked on a multibillion-dollar European-funded militarization. The aim is to make Ukraine strong enough to deter any Russian invasion in the future. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen stated the plan was to turn Ukraine into a “steel porcupine, indigestible to any potential aggressors.” Putin will join on Wednesday a grand military parade in Beijing for the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II. The event will showcase Russia’s military might even as the Kremlin shows readiness for peace negotiations.
Trump, for his part, is balancing on a tightrope. He has a personal rapport with Putin but is also coming under growing pressure to make Moscow hurt. His administration insists peace must come quickly, but his own comments last week suggested he might tolerate more fighting: “Maybe they have to fight a little longer,” he told The Daily Caller.
For now, Putin presents his relationship with Trump as a breakthrough. But with combat still ongoing in Ukraine and Kyiv bracing for long-term defense, the path to real peace remains uncertain.
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