It appears that direct talks between Trump and Xi on ending the Russia-Ukraine war could serve as Trump’s Plan B if his efforts to resolve the conflict through a U.S.–Ukraine–Russia trilateral meeting fail. Plan B is tentatively set to begin early next year.Trump essentially confirmed this after his conversation with Xi, saying he plans to travel to China at the start of next year.Today, Trump is talking with Xi only about tariffs and TikTok. However, disappointed by the prospects of reaching an agreement with Russia, he will turn to Putin’s “senior” counterpart — the Chinese leader, who, as it turns out, is currently the only one with the real leverage to pressure the Kremlin.Of course, if China takes action, it won’t do so for free. Trump will need to offer Xi something substantial — most importantly, abandoning his main foreign policy principle that containing China should be the U.S.’ top priority.SourceAbout the author. Serhiy Taran, political scientistThe editorial team does not always share the opinions expressed by blog authors.