Trump to urge Xi to stop buying Russian oil

US President Donald Trump plans to discuss with Chinese leader Xi Jinping Beijing's purchase of Russian oil and how to stop Russia's war against Ukraine. He said this during a conversation with journalists along with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte in the Oval Office.

Trump expected to meet with Xi in South Korea.

Trump wants Beijing to stop buying Russian oil that "finances war".

"I think we're going to reach an agreement," Trump said, adding that he believes Xi has changed his position on the war and would be open to discussing ending it.

The US President is convinced that "now he would like this war to end".

He also said that a nuclear weapons deal is possible, noting that Russian dictator Vladimir Putin has raised the issue of bilateral nuclear de-escalation and China could be involved in these efforts.

At the same time, China has already said that it considers energy cooperation with Russia legitimate and lawful, and that Washington's actions are "typical unilateral intimidation and economic coercion.".

• Late on October 22, Trump said he decided to cancel the meeting with Putin in Budapest because he "didn't feel like it would have achieved the desired result.".
• In parallel, the US imposed sanctions against major Russian oil companies and called on Moscow to immediately agree to a ceasefire.