US President Donald Trump said after his call on Monday with Russian President Vladimir Putin that Russia and Ukraine will immediately start negotiations for a ceasefire. However, the Kremlin said the process would take time and US president indicated he is not ready to join Europe with fresh sanctions to pressure Moscow, Reuters reported. 

The Russian leader said the telephone conversation with his American counterpart lasted more than two hours and was both substantive and candid, Russian state media outlet Tass reported. Putin said the Russian side will "continue to work with the Ukrainian side on a memorandum on a potential future peace treaty outlining a number of positions," without reaching an agreement on unconditional ceasefire.

Putin thanked Trump for supporting the resumption of direct talks between Moscow and Kiev and announced his readiness to work with Ukraine on a memorandum on a future peace treaty, according to Tass. 

When asked about the phone call between US President Donald Trump and the Russian President Vladimir Putin on Ukraine crisis on Monday, after which Trump said Russia and Ukraine will immediately start negotiations for a ceasefire, while Putin said that Russia would "continue to work with the Ukrainian side on a possible peace agreement, without reaching an agreement on unconditional ceasefire, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said on Tuesday that on the Ukraine crisis, China supports all efforts conducive to peace, and supports direct dialogue and negotiation between Russia and Ukraine and a political settlement of the crisis. "We hope parties will reach through dialogue and negotiation a fair and durable peace deal that is binding and accepted by all the parties concerned," Mao said.

In response to another question on whether China would support or consider participating in Russia-Ukraine negotiations, as several locations, including the Vatican, are being considered as possible venues for negotiations, the ministry's spokesperson said on Tuesday that on the issue of Ukraine crisis, China supports all efforts conducive to peace. 

"China will, in light of the will of the parties concerned, work with the international community to continue to play a constructive role in ultimately solving the crisis and achieving lasting peace," the spokesperson said.

The New York Times (NYT) reported that the US president on Monday had backed off his demand that Russia declare an immediate ceasefire in Ukraine, instead endorsing Putin's call for negotiations between Ukraine and Russia. The US media outlet said it was a shift from the US president's recent threats of more pressure on Russia.

While the US president appeared to be prepared to step back and urge Russia and Ukraine to make a deal directly with each other, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky expressed concern about that, saying on Monday after he held two calls with the US president that "the negotiation process must involve both American and European representatives at the appropriate level," according to the NYT. 

In the latest remarks made by relevant parties, the call between Trump and Putin signaled willingness of both sides to engage in direct negotiations between Russia and Ukraine, despite significant differences in their expectations for the outcome, some Chinese experts said.

Russia has not set a specific timeline for a ceasefire agreement, indicating that it is willing to negotiate at its own pace and is in no rush to reach a ceasefire. Ukraine, on the other hand, hopes to influence US perceptions of the conflict by expressing disappointment, Cui Hongjian, professor of the Academy of Regional and Global Governance at Beijing Foreign Studies University, told the Global Times on Tuesday. 

"However, it remains unclear whether the conditions for a genuine ceasefire through negotiations are currently in place," Cui noted. 

European leaders have agreed to increase pressure on Russia through further sanctions following the Putin-Trump call, the Guardian reported, citing the German chancellor, Friedrich Merz. 

Russia's position is, unsurprisingly, a continuation of its long-held stance. Moscow believes that the Ukraine crisis cannot be separated from NATO's continued eastward expansion since the end of the Cold War and the resulting pressure on Russia's strategic space, Cui Heng, a scholar from the Shanghai-based China National Institute for SCO International Exchange and Judicial Cooperation, told the Global Times on Tuesday. 

"Therefore, Russia has consistently insisted that resolving the Russia-Ukraine conflict must go hand in hand with a restructuring of the broader European security architecture, an appeal that aligns with its national security logic," Cui Heng said. 

Throughout the negotiation process, Europe's role has appeared particularly awkward. Europe is eager to avoid being sidelined by the US and Russia, hoping to secure its place at the negotiating table. However, at least based on the phone calls from yesterday, it seems that Europe has not truly "sat at the table" and remains marginalized, Cui Heng noted.

After the successful conclusion of the Chinese leader's state visit to Vietnam earlier this month, the Vietnamese Embassy in China held the 2025 Vietnam-China media briefing in Beijing on Monday to introduce the main outcomes of the visit and the development of bilateral relations. Vietnamese Ambassador to China Pham Thanh Binh said on Monday that this visit has established a new and important milestone in the construction of the comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership and the strategically significant Vietnam-China community with a shared future.

Ambassador Pham particularly mentioned that the visit resulted in the signing of 45 cooperation documents, the largest number and the broadest scope to date, reflecting the new positioning, new content, and new level of bilateral relations.

At the invitation of General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) Central Committee To Lam and President of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam Luong Cuong, General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and Chinese President Xi Jinping paid a state visit to Vietnam from April 14 to 15.

Pham delivered his remarks in Chinese, noting that this visit took place on the occasion of several significant anniversaries: the 75th anniversary of China-Vietnam diplomatic relations, the 95th anniversary of the CPV's founding, the 80th anniversary of Vietnam's independence, and the 50th anniversary of the Liberation of the South and National Reunification. The visit achieved substantial results, he said. 

Pham said that through this visit, China and Vietnam continued to maintain high-level strategic communication, emphasizing the importance the two parties and the two countries attach to their relations, as well as the special position of these relations in each country's diplomatic strategy. 

The two sides agreed to further enhance coordination and cooperation in diplomacy, defense, and public security. A specific achievement was the decision to elevate the "3+3" strategic dialogue mechanism between the two countries in these areas to the ministerial level. "This mechanism is relatively rare on a global scale, highlighting the uniqueness of the bilateral relationship between Vietnam and China," Pham said.

He also mentioned that during the visit, China and Vietnam reached a consensus on promoting the next phase of practical cooperation, identifying key areas and major initiatives, including urban rail, agricultural product trade, science and technology, AI education and training, digital economy, green economy, and smart ports.

2025 will also be the China-Vietnam Year of People-to-People Exchanges. China has announced that over the next three years, it will invite young Vietnamese people to China for "red study tours," strengthening the friendly ties between the younger generations of both countries through their shared revolutionary heritage. Pham told Global Times on Monday that this initiative will allow young people in Vietnam to better understand the history of mutual assistance between China and Vietnam during their revolutionary years, laying a solid foundation for the future development of bilateral relations.

During the press briefing, Pham presented some data at the meeting: In 2024, Vietnam received 3.74 million Chinese tourists, a 114 percent increase from the previous year. 

In the first quarter of 2025, Vietnam welcomed 1.58 million Chinese tourists, a 178 percent of year-on-year increase. Currently, there are nearly 400 round-trip flights per week between the two countries, and about 23,000 Vietnamese students are studying in China.

As socialist neighbors connected by shared borders, China and Vietnam's economic and trade cooperation has developed rapidly. Pham mentioned that Vietnam is currently China's fourth-largest trading partner, and China has remained Vietnam's largest trade partner for 20 consecutive years. According to Chinese statistics, bilateral trade exceeded $260 billion in 2024.

Pham told Global Times that as Vietnam's economy becomes more open, its sensitivity to external influences is increasing. Vietnam hopes that countries will strengthen cooperation to protect and develop the long-standing international trade order and maintain stability in global production and supply chains.

When discussing the current global trade situation and tariff impacts, Pham said that China and the US are two major countries and also important economic partners of Vietnam. He hopes all parties can strengthen cooperation and reduce friction. This not only aligns with the interests of all countries but will also bring tangible benefits to people around the world.

Pham quoted a signed article by General Secretary of the CPV Central Committee To Lam, published in People's Daily on April 14, stating, "The success of our two parties and two countries' friendship will not only bring benefits to our people and best serve their interests but also make increasingly practical and responsible contributions to the peace, stability, social progress, and prosperity of all nations in the region and the world."