New Delhi: During his meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping last week in Beijing, US President Donald Trump suggested that the US, China and Russia should work together to oppose the International Criminal Court (ICC).
The suggestion was first reported by the British newspaper the Financial Times. According to the report, Trump made the suggestion as the three countries’ “interests were aligned” in opposing the ICC.
In February 2025, Trump sanctioned four ICC judges who are involved in investigating American or Israeli nationals. The court, established by the Rome Statute in 1998, came into existence in 2002 and has the authority to prosecute individuals involved in genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes and crimes of aggression.
In recent years, the ICC has issued arrest warrants against Russian President Putin for war crimes linked to the alleged unlawful deportation and transportation of Ukrainian children in the ongoing war between Moscow and Kyiv.
In 2024, the ICC further issued arrest warrants against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and then Defence Minister Yoav Gallant for allegedly using starvation as a tool of warfare during Tel Aviv’s conflict in Gaza.
The American President has consistently attacked the court. Neither the US nor Israel are parties to the Rome Statute or recognise the ICC. The Trump Administration declined to comment on the Financial Times story, despite a history of public comments against the institution.
Trump’s comments to Xi came during the US President’s three-day visit to Beijing between 13 and 15 May. The American President and his Chinese counterpart came to a number of agreements during the visit. Both countries are set to establish a board of trade and a board of investments to manage the economic ties between the world’s two largest economies.
The US has further said that China will purchase at least $17 billion worth of agricultural products, as well as at least 200 civilian aircraft manufactured by Boeing.
Chinese President Xi is set to host Putin for a two-day visit on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Putin’s visit to China comes barely four days after Trump departed the Chinese capital city of Beijing. The Russian President is set to arrive at a moment when Moscow and Beijing are looking to further deepen their economic engagement.
Ahead of Putin’s visit, the British daily reported that Xi remarked to Trump that the Russian President might come to “end up regretting” his invasion of Ukraine.
But a statement on the social media platform X, a spokesperson for the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs Tuesday called the claims made in the Financial Times article as “completely false”.
Completely false. pic.twitter.com/cYw96Yxx1S
— CHINA MFA Spokesperson 中国外交部发言人 (@MFA_China) May 19, 2026
Xi is reported to have made the comments during wide-ranging talks with Trump that also discussed the war in Ukraine. The war began in February 2022 and is currently in its fifth year. The frankness of Xi’s remarks to Trump is said to have gone further than his discussions with the previous American administration led by President Joe Biden, according to the Financial Times.
The Russia-Ukraine war has evolved into one of attrition, with frontlines barely moving over the last couple of years. Kyiv and Moscow have moved to using new defence technologies including unmanned vehicles such as drones in the air, land and sea to strike targets.
Russia and Ukraine had maintained a three-day ceasefire earlier this month around 9 May, which is celebrated as victory day in Moscow, to commemorate the Soviet Union’s victory in World War II.
Over the weekend, an Indian citizen was killed in Moscow as a result of Ukrainian drone attacks in the Russian capital. Three other Indians were injured in the Ukrainian strikes. The drone attacks against Moscow were the largest by Ukraine in over a year. Ukraine aimed to hit an oil refinery as well as two-oil pumping stations in the Moscow region.
(Edited by Ajeet Tiwari)
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