As US President Donald Trump met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on February 28, the strained relations between Washington and Kyiv came into the spotlight. The meeting, which was marred by Trump’s criticism of Ukraine for not showing enough gratitude towards the US for its support and assistance, also included a question from a reporter about Russian President Vladimir Putin. Despite the tension-filled atmosphere, Trump expressed sympathy for Putin, citing the opposition Democrats’ allegations that Russia helped him secure power during his first term.

In the weeks that followed, Ukraine agreed to a ceasefire with Russia under pressure from Trump, without securing the security guarantees it sought. This move has led to speculation that Trump’s conciliatory stance towards Putin is driven by an attempt to draw Russia away from its close relationship with China, Washington’s primary long-term rival.

This approach has been dubbed the “reverse Nixon,” drawing parallels to former US President Richard Nixon’s diplomatic opening to China in the 1970s. The strategy then led to the normalization of US-China relations and drove a wedge between Beijing and the Soviet Union, reshaping Cold War dynamics.

However, experts are skeptical about the effectiveness of such a strategy today. While it’s clear the US is trying to redefine these relationships to its advantage, Russia’s dependence on and alignment with China, particularly amid the conflict in Ukraine, undermines the likelihood of Russia distancing itself from Beijing to align more closely with the US. Meanwhile, China is unlikely to jeopardize its relationship with Russia in favor of improved ties with the US, especially under a Trump administration viewed as transactional and potentially unreliable by European and Asian allies. The outcome of these complex geopolitical maneuvers may ultimately benefit China, which observes the weakening commitment of the US to its partners and sees an opportunity to expand its influence while diminishing US credibility on the global stage.

Source: https://www.aljazeera.com/features/2025/3/14/is-trump-trying-to-pull-putin-away-from-china-and-can-it-work?traffic_source=rss