The Russian President, Vladimir Putinreceived his Chinese counterpart in Moscow on MondayXi Jinpingin an expected meeting that gives strong support to the Russian leader in his confrontation with the United States over Ukraine and in the midst of Western efforts to show him isolated from the world.
Hosting Xi in the Kremlin on his first trip abroad since his re-election this month, Putin said he was “willing” to discuss the peace proposal for the Ukraine conflict presented by Chinawhile the Chinese president welcomed the “close relations” between their countries.
“We are always open to negotiations. We will certainly talk about all these issues, including your initiatives, which we treat with respect,” Putin told Xi at the start of a meeting, adding that Moscow and Beijing have “many goals in common.”
Xi, considered the most powerful president in the history of communist China, welcomed the “close relations” between the two countries and their “global strategic cooperation“, according to the official Russian translation of his statements.
Both countries, permanent members of the UN Security Council and possessors of nuclear weapons, try to show the strength of their relationship, at a time when they face tensions with Western powers.
China, in particular, needs the fuels that Russia is rich in for its huge economy, as well as Russia’s support in combating what both see as US attempts to retain global hegemony and resist a multipolar world.
Xi, the only Chinese president re-elected for a third term, told Putin that China is “willing to stand firmly by Russia’s side” for the sake of “true multilateralism” and “multipolarity in the world,” according to what the Kremlin said, the AFP news agency reported.
In Washington, meanwhile, the US Secretary of State, Anthony Blinkendeclared himself skeptical today about the Chinese president’s “peace” proposals and warned that they could be a “delaying tactic” to favor Russia in the war in Ukraine.
“The world must not be fooled by any tactical move by Russia, with the support of China or any other country, to freeze the war on its own terms,” Blinken told reporters.
According to him, the United States welcomes any diplomatic initiative for a “just and lasting peace”, but doubts that China is safeguarding the “sovereignty and territorial integrity” of Ukraine.
“Any plan that does not prioritize this fundamental principle is, at best, a delaying tactic or simply seeks to promote an unfair result. That is not constructive diplomacy,” he stressed.
“Calling for a ceasefire that does not include the withdrawal of Russian forces from Ukrainian territory would be effectively supporting the ratification of the Russian conquest,” he said.
Blinken, who on Monday announced another $350 million in US military aid to Ukraine, reiterated that he supports the position of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who has demanded Russia’s withdrawal.
“If China agrees to support ending the war on the basis of the principles of the UN Charter – as it asks for in point one of its plan – it can engage with President Zelensky and Ukraine on that basis and use its influence to force Moscow to withdraw its troops,” he said.
The Chinese president presented his trip as a “voyage of friendship, cooperation and peace” in an article published today in the Russian Gazette newspaper and also reported by the Chinese state news agency Xinhua.
Putin applauded, in a text published today in a Chinese newspaper, “China’s willingness to play a constructive role in the resolution” of the conflict and estimated that “Russian-Chinese relations have reached their peak.” China has not publicly condemned the Russian offensive and criticizes the United States for supplying weapons to Ukraine.
Xi’s visit also has an important economic aspect, after Russia refocused its economy on China due to Western sanctions.
According to the Kremlin, Putin and Xi will sign several documents, especially on their cooperation between now and 2030.
In a defiant gesture, Putin visited the Ukrainian city of Mariupol yesterday, in his first trip to territory captured from kyiv since the start of the offensive on February 24, 2022.
The head of the Russian paramilitary group Wagner, Evgueni Prigozhin, affirmed today that his fighters control “around 70%” of Bakhmut, a town in eastern Ukraine that has concentrated the fighting in recent months.
Source: Ambito
