Putin, Xi discuss Chinese peace proposal for Ukraine
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RUSSIAN President Vladimir Putin and Chinese leader Xi Jinping discussed Beijing’s proposal for a ceasefire in Ukraine in talks in Moscow, while displaying a warm friendship forged on a mutual rivalry with the West.
The two men spoke for more than four hours on Monday and enjoyed a state dinner at the Kremlin, warmly praising each other as a “dear friend”, Russian media reported.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Putin and Xi had on Monday talked about a Chinese proposal calling for a de-escalation and eventual ceasefire in Ukraine.
“There was a very thorough exchange of views, a serious conversation,” he said.
He declined to give further details but said there would be a joint statement after the two leaders meet for a second day of talks.
The Chinese document sets out some general principles in a 12-point plan but contains no details on how to end the war, now in its 13th month.
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The proposal has been largely dismissed in the West as a ploy to buy Putin time to regroup his forces and solidify his grip on occupied land.
Ukrainian and Western officials fear any ceasefire would merely freeze the front lines, handing Russia an advantage following a series of setbacks since it launched its invasion in February last year.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Xi’s visit suggested that “China feels no responsibility to hold the Kremlin accountable for the atrocities committed in Ukraine”.
“Instead of even condemning them, it would rather provide diplomatic cover for Russia to continue to commit those grave crimes,” Blinken said.
Xi also invited Putin to visit China and called for regular meetings between their prime ministers, China’s state news agency Xinhua reported.
China has refrained from condemning Russia or referring to Moscow’s intervention in its neighbour as an “invasion”. It has also criticised Western sanctions on Russia.
Foreign policy analysts said while Putin would be looking for strong support from Xi over Ukraine, they doubted his Moscow visit would result in any military backing.
Washington has said in recent weeks it fears China might arm Russia, a plan Beijing has denied.
Ukraine, which says the war cannot end until Russia pulls out its troops, has been circumspect towards China, cautiously welcoming Beijing’s peace proposal when it was announced last month.
Xi may only speak to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy by telephone, if at all.
“We are waiting for confirmation,” Ukraine’s Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk told Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera. “That would be an important move. They have things to say to each other.”
Xi’s visit is a boost to Moscow as it struggles to make ground in its year-long war on Ukraine. It was criticised by Washington as providing “diplomatic cover” for Putin and for the war that has killed tens of thousands of people.
While China has sought to cast itself as a potential peace-maker in the conflict, the visit underlined an ever-closer relationship between Moscow and Beijing. REUTERS
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