Trump thanks China's Xi, Russia's Putin for being 'neutral' in Iran war US President Donald Trump on Wednesday described Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin as "neutral" during the war with Iran, saying they had not thwarted his efforts to curb Tehran's nuclear ambitions. "I just want to thank them because they made it a lot better," Trump said following the adoption of a ceasefire agreement. Speaking at a press conference at the Group of Seven conference in Evian-les-Bains, France, Trump told reporters he was grateful to the leaders for staying out of the conflict.