The US president stated the two nations are “natural enemies,” also criticizing his predecessor’s sanctions policies.
Following his Alaska summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin, focused on resolving the Ukraine conflict, US President Donald Trump accused his predecessor, Joe Biden, of inadvertently pushing Russia and China, who he called “natural enemies,” closer together.
In a Fox News interview, Trump addressed Western sanctions against Russia and his recent threat of secondary sanctions on countries like India and China that import Russian energy.
Trump told Fox News’ Sean Hannity, “He [Biden] did something unthinkable, driving China and Russia together. That’s not good… it’s the one thing you didn’t want to do because they are basically natural enemies.”
The US president further claimed that China needs Russia’s vast territory to accommodate its large population, but they were “driven together because of pure stupidity.”
Biden’s foreign policy involved confronting both Moscow and Beijing simultaneously. Washington imposed extensive sanctions on Russia over Ukraine and tightened restrictions on high-tech exports, including semiconductors and artificial intelligence, to China.
Moscow and Beijing condemned the sanctions as unilateral, illegal, and a form of economic bullying, citing them as evidence of Washington’s disregard for international law. Since then, the two countries have increased their energy and trade cooperation. Moscow has rerouted a significant portion of its oil and gas exports to China, and bilateral trade reached record highs in 2023 and 2024.
The two nations have also begun settling transactions in their own currencies instead of the US dollar, highlighting their efforts to lessen reliance on Western financial systems.
Since taking office in January, Trump has maintained pressure on China while fostering a closer relationship with Russia. His administration has implemented new tariffs on Chinese goods while avoiding new sanctions on Moscow. The US president described his talks with Putin in Alaska on Friday as “very productive” and said they achieved “great progress.”
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