President Donald Trump is avoiding direct pressure on China over its continued support for Russia’s war effort in Ukraine, according to a Bloomberg report published earlier this week. Despite repeated calls from U.S. allies to hold Beijing accountable, Trump’s administration is focusing its diplomatic efforts on bilateral economic and technological disputes with China.
Bloomberg cited U.S. and European officials who confirmed that the White House has deprioritized discussions related to China’s military and economic support for Moscow. In recent high-level talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping, Trump reportedly did not raise the issue of Russia or Ukraine, opting instead to focus on trade, tariff revisions, and semiconductor access.
The decision marks a notable shift from the coordinated diplomatic approach seen in the previous U.S. administration. While the G7 foreign ministers have urged China to halt exports of dual-use technologies that may assist Russia’s defense sector, Washington has taken no recent public steps to pressure Beijing on this front.
According to Bloomberg, White House officials argue that raising the Russia issue could jeopardize ongoing trade negotiations. Discussions are currently underway regarding Chinese subsidies, market access for American tech firms, and restrictions on artificial intelligence components.
China has been under scrutiny for months over its provision of goods that can be used by the Russian military-industrial complex, including electronics, machine tools, and drone components. European governments have repeatedly flagged these transfers as violations of sanctions regimes.
Despite this, Trump administration representatives have rejected proposals to link China’s support for Russia with broader bilateral issues. Officials reportedly stated that compartmentalizing topics allows for more productive negotiations.
There has been no official statement from the White House regarding the Bloomberg report. The Chinese Foreign Ministry has not commented publicly on the matter.
