President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia on Friday briefed the leaders of China and India on his negotiations with the United States over Ukraine peace talks, according to the Kremlin, the latest sign of the Kremlin’s overtures to major developing nations amid President Trump’s escalating global trade war.
Mr. Putin has stepped up the pace of his public diplomacy since meeting Mr. Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff in Moscow on Wednesday. That meeting led the White House and the Kremlin to announce separately that Mr. Trump and Mr. Putin could meet to discuss ending the war in Ukraine as soon as next week.
Ahead of the expected meeting, Mr. Putin appears to be shoring up support for his war strategy among global or regional powers that have either sided with Russia or remained neutral in the conflict. Mr. Putin spoke by telephone on Friday with President Xi Jinping of China and Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India, but neither Moscow nor Beijing disclosed the substance of their talks beyond offering vague promises to deepen cooperation.
On Thursday, Mr. Putin met an Indian national security official in Moscow and spoke by telephone with President Cyril Ramaphosa of South Africa. In that period, Mr. Putin also spoke by telephone or in person with the leaders of Belarus, Kazakhstan, the United Arab Emirates and Uzbekistan.
China, India, Russia and South Africa, as well as Brazil, are the major members of the BRICS, a group of 10 developing nations. Those countries, apart from Russia, which already faces comprehensive American sanctions over the war in Ukraine, have seen their trade conditions with the United States worsen significantly since Mr. Trump returned to office in January.
In most cases, Mr. Trump has framed higher tariffs on these nations as punishments for domestic policies, real or imagined, that he did not like. He has criticized South Africa as mistreating its white minority; called on Brazil to stop prosecuting former President Jair Bolsonaro, who is accused of planning to overthrow the government; and threatened to double tariffs on India for buying Russian oil.
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