Main points
- Donald Trump has postponed his meeting with Xi Jinping, which could negatively affect Ukraine due to the possibility of discussing important issues related to the Russian-Ukrainian war.
- The meeting was postponed due to Trump's weak position on Iran, where the US is trying to stop oil exports to China but has no control mechanisms.
Donald Trump had a meeting scheduled with Chinese leader Xi Jinping. It was planned for late March or early April 2026. However, the American president postponed this event for about a month. This may be related to the situation in Iran and have certain consequences for Ukraine.
Former Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba told Channel 24 that the postponement of the meeting between Donald Trump and Xi Jinping is bad news for Ukraine. The parties in Beijing could have raised important issues for our country in the context of the Russian-Ukrainian war.
Why did Trump postpone his visit to China?
Dmytro Kuleba believes that if the American leader met with Xi Jinping, one of the issues they would discuss would be ending the war in Ukraine.
It is almost impossible to stop Russia without an understanding with China. Therefore, in this sense, such a story is not beneficial for us,
– he said.
As for the postponement of the meeting with the Chinese leader, according to the former Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, this is due to the fact that Trump is currently in a weak position, as the operation in Iran is being delayed.
Interestingly. The representative of the Center for US-Ukraine Relations Andriy Dobryansky believes that Trump has lost leverage over China. This is probably why he postponed the meeting in Beijing with Xi Jinping. The reason may be the mutually beneficial relations between China and Iran.
There is speculation that one of the unstated goals of the US in its confrontation with the Iranian regime is to stop Iranian oil exports to China. However, Trump currently has no mechanisms to control this process.
That is, he cannot come (to China – Channel 24) with a lever of influence in his hands. Like, now I control whether you get oil from Iran or not,
– Kuleba noted.
He emphasized that, despite the war, the Iranians continue to send their tankers to China and India.
In addition, there is information that the Chinese government is helping Iran in its war with the US. It is not known exactly how, but it could be through the production or import of weapons.
I think for the Americans this is the main problem right now. But I don't expect an escalation in relations between China and the United States of America over Iran at this stage. It will be a controlled process,
– added the former Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine.
Therefore, according to him, if there is no war between the US and China, then there is no Third World War.
How does the war in Iran affect US-China relations?
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Iran has said it is receiving help from Russia and China due to the worsening situation in the Middle East. The Iranian authorities consider Moscow and Beijing to be their strategic partners. They are supposedly working together to confront the United States and Israel.
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Trump was scheduled to meet with the Chinese leader between March 31 and April 2. However, the administration of the American president suggested that the visit to China might be postponed due to conflicts with Iran. They said that Trump should focus all his attention on this.
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The US leader asked to postpone the meeting with Xi Jinping for about a month. Trump emphasized that this was supposedly not related to politics, but the situation in the Middle East forced him to stay in the country.