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

Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping 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.

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

Chinese President Xi Jinping held a meeting with Russian leader Vladimir Putin via a video link on Tuesday, state broadcaster CCTV reported. The talks came hours after US President Donald Trump returned to the White House and said he would meet Putin “very soon”.

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

Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin held a video conference on Tuesday to reaffirm and enhance the

MOSCOW — Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke Tuesday with Chinese President Xi Jinping and emphasized their close ties a day after Donald Trump was sworn in as the 47th U.S. president.

The wave at the start says it all.

Putin and Xi discuss close ties, global order, and potential U.S. contacts, emphasizing mutual respect and cooperation.

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