Xi and Putin solidify ‘strategic partnership of coordination’ between China, Russia
- On the second day of Xi’s visit to Moscow, the two leaders release no new details or preconditions for any Ukrainian peace initiative
- Putin criticises the West for continuing to arm Kyiv in its war against Russian invaders
But the two released no new details or preconditions for any peace initiative, and the United States, Ukraine and Western allies remain wary of any deal that allows Moscow to hold onto territory it gained since the invasion of its neighbour in February 2022.
“Russia welcomed China’s willingness to play a positive role in resolving the Ukraine crisis through political and diplomatic means,” a Xinhua readout said. “The Russian side reiterated its commitment to restart the negotiations as soon as possible, which was appreciated by China.”
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Xi Jinping in Moscow to discuss Chinese peace plan for Ukraine with Russia’s Vladimir Putin
Putin took a significantly harder line at a joint press conference that capped the day of talks, however. He noted that many of the provisions of a 12-point peace plan recently put forward by China dovetail with Moscow’s approach to any future talks “when the West and Kyiv are ready for it”.
“However,” he added, “we have not seen such readiness from their side yet.”
Putin said Western allies continued to arm Ukraine with tanks and other weapons, mentioning an announcement by Britain on Tuesday that it planned to send armour-piercing shells to Kyiv containing depleted uranium.
“It seems that the West really decided to fight with Russia to the last Ukrainian – no longer in words, but in deeds,” Putin said.
