Xi reportedly told Trump that Putin might 'regret' invading Ukraine

Chinese president Xi Jinping told Donald Trump that Russia 's Vladimir Putin could come to regret invading his smaller neighbour Ukraine , according to a new report on last week's summit in Beijing .

The report emerged just hours before Putin is due to arrive in Beijing for his own two-day summit with Xi.

The FT reported that Xi made the remarks during wide-ranging talks between the US and Chinese delegations in Beijing, while Trump suggested that the three leaders should co-operate against the International Criminal Court.

Putin said ahead of his visit today that Russia and China are ready to support each other on a wide range of issues, including ⁠national unity and protection of sovereignty.

The Kremlin says the two sides will the proposed Power of Siberia 2 gas pipeline, which could one day deliver an additional 50 billion cubic metres (bcm) of gas per year from Russia 's Arctic gas fields via Mongolia to China.

Turkey can ​exert influence over the wars in Ukraine and Iran, German foreign minister Johann Wadephul said ⁠on Monday, adding the European Union and Ankara should strengthen strategic ties.

“If Turkey wishes to join the European ‌Union, it will find a friendly ​and reliable partner ‌in Germany," Wadephul ⁠said. However, in order to join ⁠the union, Turkey must meet all ‌the criteria, ​he added.

"Turkey has the potential to exert considerable influence on these trouble spots, not only because of its geographical proximity, but also because of its enormous political and economic significance," Wadephul told reporters at a press conference with Turkish counterpart Hakan Fidan in Berlin.

It ‌was desirable to keep strengthening strategic relations between Turkey and the European ⁠Union, he added, with Germany advocating that Turkey be considered in the development of the EU's defence and industrial policies.

Russia's armed forces will conduct exercises of its nuclear forces from 19 May to 21 May, the defence ministry announced this morning.

More ⁠than 64,000 ‌personnel and 7,800 pieces ‌of military equipment ‌will be involved in ⁠the drills, which will see ballistic and cruise missiles launched from ‌test sites ​on Russian ‌territory, the ⁠ministry said.

Chinese president Xi Jinping told his US counterpart Donald Trump that Russian leader Vladimir Putin might come to regret invading smaller neighbour Ukraine during their talks last week, according to the Financial Times .

Several people familiar with the US assessment of last week’s summit in Beijing said Xi made the remarks when the US and Chinese delegations held wide-ranging talks on Ukraine and Trump suggested that the three leaders should co-operate against the International Criminal Court.

One person aware of the Chinese president’s meeting with former US president Joe Biden said that while the leaders did hold “frank and direct” conversations on Russia and Ukraine, Xi had not previously offered such an assessment of Putin and his war on Ukraine.

As Vladimir Putin jets out of Moscow to meet his ally Chinese president Xi Jinping, experts have said there is little the leader in Beijing will do to end the war in Ukraine.

While China presents itself as a peace mediator in the conflict and a neutral party, Putin says China and Russia support each other's "core interests" as he pursues additional energy deals with the world's second-largest economy in the face of Western sanctions.

"It's unrealistic to ​expect Xi to put pressure on Putin to end the war in Ukraine. Xi doesn't wield that kind of influence over Putin and in any case the Chinese understand how a defeat ​for Russia in Ukraine would weaken Putin's political standing," says Ian Storey, principal ​fellow at the ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute in Singapore.

At the same time, China's engagement with countries such as Russia also reinforces its message that its diplomacy is consistent and not swayed by the actions of strategic partners, despite Western pressure.

"As such, Beijing will continue to provide Moscow with diplomatic cover at the UN, economic assistance and dual-use technologies for Russia's armed forces," he said.

China ‌says it has ⁠never provided lethal weapons to either side of the Russia-Ukraine conflict and that it strictly controls exports of dual-use items.

The two-day talks, however, will amplify what Xi and Putin want the rest of the world to see – a tight bond between the autocrats.

"The Xi-Putin summit will telegraph to the world that the China-Russia strategic partnership ​remains the cornerstone of both countries' foreign policies and that any attempt by the US to drive a wedge between them is destined to fail," Storey said.

Russia has "very serious expectations" for president Vladimir Putin's trip to China this week, the Kremlin said on Monday.

The two sides will use it to develop their privileged partnership, spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said.

Putin is to visit Beijing on Tuesday and Wednesday, arriving just days after Donald Trump departed the Chinese capital.

The Russian delegation will include relevant deputy prime ministers, government ministers and company heads, Peskov told reporters.

Moscow expects the Russia-Ukraine peace process to be resumed but it is currently paused, the Kremlin said on Monday.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov was commenting on remarks by Donald Trump that deadly Russian strikes on Ukraine could set back peace efforts.

Trump suggested to reporters on Friday that a Russian missile strike on a Kyiv apartment building that killed 24 people, including three children, had delayed efforts to reach peace in the four-year conflict.

Peskov said attention should be paid to ongoing strikes by Ukraine on civilian targets in Russia. Moscow faced its biggest drone attack in over a year at the weekend, with at least three people killed in the wider region around the capital.

Turkey can ​exert influence over the wars in Ukraine and Iran, German foreign minister Johann Wadephul said ⁠on Monday, adding the European Union and Ankara should strengthen strategic ties.

"If Turkey wishes to join the European ‌Union, it will find a friendly ​and reliable partner ‌in Germany," Wadephul ⁠said. However, in order to join ⁠the union, Turkey must meet all ‌the criteria, ​he added.

"Turkey has the potential to exert considerable influence on these trouble spots, not only because of its geographical proximity, but also because of its enormous political and economic significance," Wadephul told reporters at a press conference with Turkish counterpart Hakan Fidan in Berlin.

It ‌was desirable to keep strengthening strategic relations between Turkey and the European ⁠Union, he added, with Germany advocating that Turkey be considered in the development of the EU's defence and industrial policies.

Belarus said on Monday it launched joint drills with Russia to practice the use of nuclear weapons that Moscow has deployed on the territory of its neighbour and ally.

Belarus' authoritarian president Alexander Lukashenko has allowed Russia to deploy some of its tactical nuclear weapons to his country. In December, Russia also announced that its latest intermediate range nuclear-capable Oreshnik missile system entered service in Belarus, which borders Ukraine and Nato members Poland, Latvia and Lithuania.

The Belarusian defence ministry said that the drills will involve missile units and warplanes.

“During the exercise, in cooperation with the Russian side, it is planned to practise the delivery of nuclear weapons and preparations for their use,” the ministry said in a statement. It said the drills will focus on training forces to move covertly across large distances.

It said the manoeuvres had been planned in advance and weren’t aimed against any third countries.