"In love, there is always one who kisses, and one who offers the cheek." That French proverb was borrowed by Winston Churchill's daughter to describe the British prime minister's relationship during World War II with US president Franklin D. Roosevelt. When observing the optics of Xi Jinping's three-day state visit to Moscow, we ask about the stakes of the first trip to Russia by China's president since Vladimir Putin's decision to launch an all-out invasion of Ukraine.
Faced with Western sanctions, just how dependent has Putin become on Russia's far-east neighbour and former rival?
As for Xi, it's anyone's guess whether he will pick up the phone and speak with a Ukrainian president who has left the line open and who won't dismiss Beijing's offer to mediate, all the while welcoming the prime minister of Russia's rival Japan.
Does China hedge its bets or go all-in with Putin?
Produced by Alessandro Xenos, Juliette Laurain, Daphné Leprince-Ringuet and Imen Mellaz.
