The USA's allies in Europe have publicly reacted to the Trump-Putin conversation. But what about Russia's great ally? How is China reacting, and where do Beijing's interests lie in this rapidly changing situation?

Europe is jealous and angry over the phone call between Russian President Vladimir Putin and his U.S. counterpart Donald Trump because it shows that its power on the global stage has been weakened, Russian security official Dmitry Medvedev said on Thursday.

"Any agreement without us will fail, because you need Europe and Ukraine to also implement the agreement," EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said. "Any quick fix is a dirty deal." Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said: "Nothing can be discussed on Ukraine without Ukraine or on Europe without Europe.