President Donald Trump has made a significant accusation against his predecessor, Joe Biden, claiming that Biden’s policies have unintentionally brought Russia and China closer together. During an interview with Fox News, Trump criticized Biden’s sanctions against Russia, suggesting these measures have effectively drawn China into closer alignment with Moscow. This criticism comes in the wake of Trump’s recent summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska, which focused on resolving the ongoing Ukraine conflict.
Biden’s foreign policy strategy has been to simultaneously confront both Moscow and Beijing. This approach has seen the United States implement sweeping sanctions against Russia concerning the Ukraine issue, while also imposing strict export controls on high-tech goods to China, such as semiconductors and artificial intelligence. These actions, according to Trump, have been perceived as pushing Russia and China closer together, resulting in a significant shift in their geopolitical relations.
Russia and China have both condemned these sanctions as a form of unilateral and economically bullying behavior, stating that they violated international law. In response to these sanctions, the two countries have intensified their economic cooperation. Moscow has redirected a significant portion of its oil and gas exports to China, while bilateral trade between the two nations has reached record levels in 2023 and 2024. Additionally, both countries have moved towards settling transactions in their local currencies instead of using the US dollar, which reflects their intention to reduce dependence on the Western financial system.
Since assuming office in January, Trump has maintained increased pressure on China through the imposition of new tariffs on Chinese goods. In contrast, he has refrained from imposing further sanctions on Russia, which has resulted in a strategic alignment with Moscow’s interests. Trump described his recent summit with Putin as ‘very productive’ and stated that ‘great progress’ was made. This strategic move has led to the emergence of a significant shift in the geopolitical dynamics involving the United States and these two global powers, with profound implications for the future of international relations and economic policies.