Putin and Xi Highlight G7 Discord in Phone Call During Summit

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping exchanged telephone calls on Thursday, with the two leaders allegedly stressing domestic rifts within G7 nations during this week's summit in Canada, a Kremlin statement said.

The Group of Seven, composed of key advanced economies, seemed to grapple with cohesion on the matter of Ukraine, particularly in the wake of the premature exit of U.S. President Donald Trump. Trump departed early from the summit to head back to Washington amid the heightening Israel-Iran conflict. His departure resulted in Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy missing a chance to have a face-to-face meeting to secure additional U.S. military assistance.

Addressing journalists, Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov stated, "[Putin and Xi] exchanged views on the outcome of the latest G7 summit in Canada. Specifically, they pointed to the rough edges known to everyone that appeared in the interactions between participants."

He also commented on Zelenskiy's diplomatic failures at the summit, saying, "And, by the way, it was said that for Zelenskiy this was by no means the most successful foreign trip."

The leaders' discussion took approximately an hour and also touched upon a series of urgent geopolitical issues, such as the Israel-Iran standoff, advancements in bilateral ties, and coordination within the BRICS association. The Kremlin reported that preparations for the next BRICS summit in Brazil were among the subjects, such as a suggestion to create a new BRICS investment platform with the goal of helping nations of the Global South.