China is a vital strategic partner of Russia's. While it has said it plays no role in the war, Beijing has provided Russia with a major economic lifeline through large-scale oil purchases, helping Moscow to circumvent Western sanctions.

China has recently sent a fleet of five research and icebreaking vessels to the Arctic region near Alaska, an unprecedented level of deployment that has drawn close monitoring from the U.S. Coast Guard and military authorities.

President Trump is set to join a virtual meeting on Aug. 13 with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and European leaders.