Trump Proposed US, Russia, and China Unite Against International Criminal Court in Closed-Door Talks With Xi: Report

(AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

President Donald Trump reportedly suggested the United States, China, and Russia should unite against the International Criminal Court during closed-door talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing last week.

The proposal emerged during wide-ranging conversations between the president and the Chinese leader that also touched on Russia’s war in Ukraine, the Financial Times reported on Tuesday.

Trump argued the three powers shared common interests in opposing the ICC, which his administration has repeatedly accused of overreach and politicization, according to the report.

The White House, as well as the Chinese embassy in D.C., declined to comment on the alleged remarks for the report when reached by the FT.

The discussions came as Trump seeks to reset relations with Beijing while also maintaining contact with Russian President Vladimir Putin amid the ongoing war in Ukraine. Putin is expected to arrive in China this week for talks with Xi.

According to people briefed on the summit, however, Trump suggested the three nations should join together to push back on the ICC and argued their interests were aligned against the Hague-based court.

The ICC has long been a target of Trump allies and senior administration officials, who have accused it of politicization and judicial overreach.

Since returning to office last year, Trump has intensified pressure on the ICC, imposing sanctions on 11 court officials, including the chief prosecutor, and eight judges.

In an executive order signed in February 2025, Trump accused the court of taking “illegitimate and baseless actions targeting America and our close ally Israel” after the ICC pursued investigations involving U.S. and Israeli officials.

Neither the United States nor Israel is a signatory to the Rome Statute, the treaty that established the court.

Russia formally withdrew from the court in 2016 after it classified Moscow’s annexation of Crimea as an occupation. China has also consistently rejected the court’s jurisdiction.

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