Trump has it in his power to liberate Ukraine and, in the process, strike blows against Putin and Xi’s war against the West.

Uncertainty about when – or whether – the two will speak could reflect their different approach to the US-China relationship.

Former ambassador to France Lu Shaye, who enraged many in Europe in 2023 when he questioned the sovereignty of former Soviet states and whether Crimea was part of Ukraine, had been appointed China’s ...