Russian President Vladimir Putin welcomed Chinese leader Xi Jinping to the Kremlin on Monday, in a visit that sent a powerful message to Western leaders allied with Ukraine that their efforts to isolate Moscow have fallen short.
As he greeted Xi, Putin also said he welcomed his plan for B次元官网网址渟ettlement of the acute crisis in Ukraine.B次元官网网址�
XiB次元官网网址檚 visit showed off BeijingB次元官网网址檚 new diplomatic swagger and gave a political lift to Putin just days after an on war crimes charges related to Ukraine.
The two major powers have described XiB次元官网网址檚 three-day trip as an opportunity to deepen their B次元官网网址渘o-limits friendship.B次元官网网址� China looks to Russia as a source of oil and gas for its energy-hungry economy, and as a partner in standing up to what both see as U.S. domination of global affairs. The two countries, which are among the five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council, also have held .
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that over dinner on Monday, Putin and Xi will likely include a B次元官网网址渄etailed explanationB次元官网网址� of MoscowB次元官网网址檚 actions in Ukraine.
Broader talks involving officials from both countries on a range of subjects are scheduled for Tuesday, Peskov said.
For Putin, XiB次元官网网址檚 presence is a prestigious, diplomatic triumph amid Western efforts to isolate Russia after its invasion of Ukraine.
In an article published in the Chinese PeopleB次元官网网址檚 Daily newspaper, Putin described XiB次元官网网址檚 visit as a B次元官网网址渓andmark eventB次元官网网址� that B次元官网网址渞eaffirms the special nature of the Russia-China partnership.B次元官网网址�
Putin also specifically said the meeting sent a message to Washington that the two countries arenB次元官网网址檛 prepared to accept attempts to weaken them.
B次元官网网址淭he U.S. policy of simultaneously deterring Russia and China, as well as all those who do not bend to the American diktat, is getting ever fiercer and more aggressive,B次元官网网址� he wrote.
XiB次元官网网址檚 trip came after the International Criminal Court in The Hague announced Friday it for the abductions of thousands of children from Ukraine.
China portrays XiB次元官网网址檚 visit as part of normal diplomatic exchanges and has offered little detail about what the trip aims to accomplish, though the nearly 13 months of war in Ukraine cast a long shadow on the talks.
At a daily briefing in Beijing on Monday, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said XiB次元官网网址檚 trip was a B次元官网网址渏ourney of friendship, cooperation and peace.B次元官网网址�
On the war, Wang said: B次元官网网址淐hina will uphold its objective and fair position on the Ukrainian crisis and play a constructive role in promoting peace talks.B次元官网网址�
BeijingB次元官网网址檚 leap into Ukraine issues follows its recent success in brokering talks between Iran and its chief Middle Eastern rival, Saudi Arabia, which agreed to restore their diplomatic ties after years of tensions.
Following that success, Xi called for China to play a
B次元官网网址淧resident Xi will have an in-depth exchange of views with President Putin on bilateral relations and major international and regional issues of common concern,B次元官网网址� Wang said.
He added that Xi aims to B次元官网网址減romote strategic coordination and practical cooperation between the two countries and inject new impetus into the development of bilateral relations.B次元官网网址�
Although they boast of a B次元官网网址渘o-limitsB次元官网网址� partnership, Beijing has conducted a China First policy. It has shrunk from supplying RussiaB次元官网网址檚 war machine B次元官网网址� a move that could worsen relations with Washington and turn important European trade partners against Beijing. On the other hand, it has refused to condemn MoscowB次元官网网址檚 aggression and has censured Western sanctions against Moscow, while accusing NATO and the United States of provoking PutinB次元官网网址檚 military action.
China last month called for a cease-fire and peace talks between Kyiv and Moscow. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy cautiously welcomed BeijingB次元官网网址檚 involvement, but the overture fizzled.
The Kremlin has welcomed ChinaB次元官网网址檚 peace plan and said Putin and Xi would discuss it.
Washington strongly rejected BeijingB次元官网网址檚 call for a cease-fire as the effective ratification of the KremlinB次元官网网址檚 battlefield gains.
Kyiv officials say they wonB次元官网网址檛 bend in their terms for a peace accord.
B次元官网网址淭he 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,B次元官网网址� Oleksiy Danilov, the secretary of UkraineB次元官网网址檚 National Security and Defense Council, tweeted on Monday.
That means restoring B次元官网网址渟overeignty, independence and territorial integrity,B次元官网网址� he wrote.
The Kremlin doesnB次元官网网址檛 recognize the authority of the International Criminal Court and has rejected its move against Putin as B次元官网网址渓egally null and void.B次元官网网址� China, the U.S. and Ukraine also donB次元官网网址檛 recognize the ICC, but the courtB次元官网网址檚 announcement tarnished PutinB次元官网网址檚 international standing.
ChinaB次元官网网址檚 Foreign Ministry called on the ICC to B次元官网网址渞espect the jurisdictional immunityB次元官网网址� of a head of state and B次元官网网址渁void politicization and double standards.B次元官网网址�
Dmitry Medvedev, deputy head of RussiaB次元官网网址檚 Security Council, said the ICCB次元官网网址檚 move will have B次元官网网址渕onstrous consequencesB次元官网网址� for international law.
B次元官网网址淎 gloomy sunset of the entire system of international relations is coming, trust is exhausted,B次元官网网址� Medvedev wrote on his messaging app channel. He argued that in the past, the ICC has destroyed its credibility by failing to prosecute what he called U.S. war crimes in Afghanistan and Iraq.
He also cautioned that the court in The Hague could be a target for a Russian missile strike. Medvedev has in the past made bombastic statements and claims.
RussiaB次元官网网址檚 Investigative Committee said Monday it is opening a criminal case against a prosecutor and three judges of the ICC over the arrest warrants they issued for Putin and his commissioner for childrenB次元官网网址檚 rights, Maria Lvova-Belova. The committee called the ICCB次元官网网址檚 prosecution B次元官网网址渦nlawfulB次元官网网址� because it was, among other things, a B次元官网网址渃riminal prosecution of a knowingly innocent person.B次元官网网址�
