The call reflected Washington’s clear need to involve Beijing in its efforts to end the war – a conflict that Trump made a centrepiece of his foreign policy agenda upon returning to the White House last year.
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The summit took place at a time of rare battlefield progress for Ukraine, which has regained more ground in recent months than it had ceded in years. A senior Ukrainian commander told Reuters last week that the Russian army was exhausted and incapable of making breakthroughs.
Russia last month launched a massive strike on Ukraine, deploying 600 drones and 90 missiles, including the nuclear-capable Oreshnik hypersonic ballistic missile, while vowing further attacks on the capital, Kyiv.
Negotiations between Russia and Ukraine have largely collapsed since direct talks in Turkey in July 2025 ended without a ceasefire agreement. Trump has been pressuring Zelensky to reach a deal, telling him in March to “get on the ball”.
