Chinese leader Xi Jinping arrived in Moscow on Monday on a three-day visit that shows off Beijing’s new diplomatic arrogance and offers a welcome political boost for Russian President Vladimir Putin as the fighting in Ukraine boils down to a lower level. devastating war of attrition.
China and Russia have described Xi’s trip as part of efforts to further deepen their “boundless friendship.” China looks to Russia as a source of oil and gas for its energy-hungry economy, and as a partner in opposing what they both see as US domination of global affairs.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Putin and Xi would discuss Ukraine-related issues over dinner on Monday, adding that Russia’s president would likely offer a “detailed explanation” of Moscow’s view of the current situation.
Broader talks involving officials from both countries on a variety of issues are scheduled for Tuesday, according to Peskov.
For Putin, Xi’s presence in the Kremlin is a prestigious visit and a diplomatic triumph, allowing him to tell Western leaders allied with Ukraine that their efforts to isolate him have not been enough. Xi’s trip comes just days after he was announced by the International Criminal Court in The Hague. wants to put Putin on trial for the kidnappings of thousands of Ukrainian children.
China presents Xi’s visit as part of normal diplomatic exchanges and has offered few details about what the trip aims to achieve, though nearly 13 months of war in Ukraine cast a shadow over the talks.
At a daily briefing in Beijing on Monday, Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said Xi’s trip was a “journey of friendship, cooperation and peace.”
On the war, Wang said: “China will maintain its objective and fair position on the Ukraine crisis and play a constructive role in promoting peace talks.”
Beijing’s leap into Ukraine affairs follows its recent success brokering talks between Iran and its main Middle East rival Saudi Arabia, which has agreed to restore diplomatic ties after years of tension.
Enthused by that success, Xi called on China to play a role greater role in managing global affairs.
“President Xi will have an in-depth exchange of views with President Putin on bilateral relations and major international and regional issues of common concern,” Wang said.
He added that Xi aims to “promote strategic coordination and practical cooperation between the two countries and inject new impetus into the development of bilateral relations.”
China last month called for a ceasefire and peace talks between kyiv and Moscow. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy cautiously welcomed Beijing’s involvement, but the proposal fell through.
The Kremlin welcomed China’s peace plan, saying it would be discussed at talks between Putin and Xi that will start over dinner.
Washington strongly rejected Beijing’s call for a ceasefire as the effective ratification of the Kremlin’s battlefield gains.
kyiv officials say they will not bend to their terms for a peace deal.
“The first and main point is the capitulation or withdrawal of the Russian occupation troops from the territory of Ukraine in accordance with the norms of international law and the UN Charter,” Oleksiy Danilov, secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine, tweeted. Ukraine. Monday.
That means restoring “sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity,” he wrote.
Xi’s trip to Russia comes after the International Criminal Court on Friday issued an arrest warrant for Putin on war crimes charges.
The Kremlin does not recognize the authority of the International Criminal Court and has rejected its move against Putin as “legally null and void.” China, the United States and Ukraine also do not recognize the ICC, but the court’s announcement tarnishes Putin’s international position.
China’s foreign ministry called on the ICC on Monday to “respect the jurisdictional immunity” of a head of state and “avoid politicization and double standards.”
Dmitry Medvedev, deputy head of Russia’s Security Council, said Monday that the International Criminal Court’s decision to issue an arrest warrant for Putin will have “monstrous consequences” for international law.
“A gloomy twilight of the entire system of international relations is coming, trust is exhausted,” Medvedev wrote on the channel of his messaging app.
He argued that in the past the ICC has destroyed its credibility by failing to prosecute alleged US war crimes in Afghanistan and Iraq.
He also warned that the Hague court could be the target of a Russian missile attack. Medvedev has made bombastic statements and claims in the past.
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