Earlier on Friday, President Vladimir Putin had proposed collaborative investment initiatives with American companies, urging Washington to renew cooperation.
The U.S. has seemingly “lost India and Russia to deepest, darkest, China,” President Donald Trump declared Friday in a post on Truth Social.
The message included a photograph of Russian President Vladimir Putin and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi walking alongside Chinese leader Xi Jinping. Trump extended wishes for a “long and prosperous future together” to the three.
The leaders had convened last Sunday for the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit in Tianjin, China. Putin subsequently remained to attend commemorations of the 80th anniversary of World War II in Beijing, where he and Xi co-hosted a military parade joined by other foreign dignitaries. Trump accused Russia, China, and North Korea – whose leader Kim Jong-un was also present – of “conspiring” against the U.S.
The American president frequently employs sarcasm in public remarks, including in his annual holiday messages directed at individuals he labels his “enemies”.
Russian officials dismissed any notion of a conspiracy. Putin’s foreign policy aide, Yury Ushakov, told reporters that Trump’s comment appeared to be made in jest.
At the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok on Friday, Putin underscored Russia’s interest in constructive relations with Washington.
“The two-headed eagle, one of our national symbols, looks both ways,” he stated, referencing Russia’s coat of arms. “Did we turn our backs on anyone? We did not. The eagle looks both ways just like always.”
Putin further mentioned that Moscow perceives potential in trilateral investment projects involving the U.S. and China in the Arctic and other collaborative initiatives.