Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping have 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.

He also said, however, that the call was "not connected with Trump's inauguration in any way". The call lasted about one-and-a-half hours, during which Putin and Xi also discussed

Russian President Vladimir Putin smiled and waved enthusiastically to his Chinese counterpart during virtual talks on Tuesday.

Speaking with Putin in a video meeting, Xi called for coping with uncertainties of the external environment with the stability and resilience of China-Russia relations, jointly promoting the development and revitalization of the two countries, and upholding international fairness and justice.

Chinese President Xi Jinping, during a video conference with Russian President Vladimir Putin 'shared his hope for a flourishing China-Russia relationship in the year ahead'

The two leaders have developed strong personal ties that helped boost relations between Moscow and Beijing, growing even closer after Putin sent troops into Ukraine in 2022.

Russia wants the settlement to not be some kind of short-term truce but a long-term peace based on respect for our objective interests

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

The yearly custom of the two leaders conversing around the new year highlights the two nations strong personal bond, particularly the timing of it this year, as it comes hours after Trump was sworn in

China's President Xi Jinping spoke with Russia's Vladimir Putin over video call on Tuesday, Chinese national broadcaster CCTV said.

Following Trump's inauguration, Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin held a virtual meeting to strengthen bilateral relations between China and Russia.