Gyeongju, 30 October 2025 (dpa/MIA) - Washington and Beijing will work together to seek an end to Russia's war in Ukraine, US President Donald Trump said after meeting Chinese President Xi Jinping in South Korea on Thursday.

"We talked about it for a long time, and we're both going to work together to see if we can get something," Trump told reporters on his flight back to Washington.

According to Trump, both leaders agreed that Russia and Ukraine were "locked" in a stalemate. "But he's going to help us and we're going to work together on Ukraine," he said, referring to Xi.

There was no immediate comment from Beijing on the talks in the South Korean port city of Busan.

Ahead of the meeting, there had been speculation that Trump would urge China to halt or reduce its oil imports from Russia, a key source of revenue for Moscow's war effort.

But Trump said the question of Russian oil did not feature in the discussions.

US pressure campaign

Washington has long sought to cut off the oil and energy revenues that have helped fund Russia's war machine, hoping to force Moscow to reconsider its strategy.

Trump has tried, without success, on several high-profile occasions to mediate an end to the fighting, despite boasting of his strong personal rapport with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

According to Chinese customs data, imports of Russian oil accounted for about one-fifth of China's total crude purchases last year. Beijing has been a key diplomatic and trade partner for Moscow and has so far refrained from condemning the invasion.

Trump and Xi met on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit, held in nearby Gyeongju, South Korea. Xi arrived in South Korea on Thursday to attend the leaders' meeting on Friday, while Trump departed for the US following a week-long Asia tour.

Photo: EPA