Xi Jinping has invited Vladimir Putin to visit China this year in a symbolic show of support after the international criminal court issued an arrest warrant for Russia’s president over accusations of unlawfully deporting Ukrainian children.
The Chinese leader extended the invitation during a meeting on Tuesday morning with the Russian prime minister, Mikhail Mishustin, as part of his state visit to Moscow.
Putin and Xi are to hold a second day of talks later on Tuesday, as the internationally isolated Russian leader said he was open to discussing China’s proposals on the fighting in Ukraine and the US called on Xi to press him to “halt the war crimes”.
Xi’s trip to Moscow has been viewed as a major boost for Putin, who is subject to an international criminal court warrant. The Chinese leader is expected to continue to position himself as a potential peacemaker in the Ukraine war during his two-day visit to Russia – his first state visit since the invasion.
On Monday, Xi and Putin held four and a half hours of talks, calling each other “dear friend”. The talks were accompanied by a six-course meal that included blini with quail and mushrooms, fish and pomegranate sorbet, according to a menu published by a state media journalist. In a rare move, Putin escorted Xi to his car after the talks, and the two were seen smiling together.
Formal talks were scheduled for Tuesday, the Kremlin said.
On Monday night, the White House spokesperson John Kirby said Xi should use his influence to press Putin to withdraw troops from Ukraine and “halt the war crimes”. A ceasefire – which was a key part of China’s peace proposal published last month – would not be enough, he said.
“We hope that President Xi will press President Putin to cease bombing Ukrainian cities, hospitals and schools; to halt the war crimes and atrocities; and to withdraw all his troops,” he said.
“But we are concerned that, instead, China will reiterate calls for a ceasefire that leaves Russian forces inside Ukraine sovereign territory. And any ceasefire that does not address the removal of Russian forces from Ukraine would effectively ratify Russia’s illegal conquests, enabling Russia to entrench its positions and then to restart the war at a more advantageous time for them.”
The sit-down between Xi and Putin was to be unexpectedly mirrored in Kyiv, where the Japanese prime minister, Fumio Kishida, was en route to meet the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy.
Kishida and Zelenskiy are expected to discuss Japanese support for the reconstruction of Ukraine. Tokyo joined the US and other countries in imposing sanctions on Russia, prompting the Kremlin to add Japan to its list of “unfriendly” countries.
With Japan due to host this year’s G7 summit, in Hiroshima in May, Kishida was under pressure to end his status as the group’s only leader yet to visit Kyiv.
Kishida, who represents a seat in Hiroshima, has pledged to use his G7 presidency to promote nuclear disarmament, amid fears that Russia has not ruled out the use of tactical nuclear weapons in Ukraine.
Japan’s public broadcaster, NHK, showed footage of Kishida boarding a train at the Polish border town of Przemyśl. He is also due to hold talks with his Polish counterpart before returning to Japan on Thursday, the foreign ministry said.
During the meeting on Monday between Xi and Putin, the Russian leader said he was open to talks on Ukraine and praised Beijing’s 12-point position paper on the conflict. The paper, published last month, largely reiterated Beijing’s talking points on the Ukraine war, with calls for dialogue, respect for all countries’ territorial sovereignty, and an end to economic sanctions. It urged all parties to avoid nuclear escalation, but did not suggest Russia withdraw its forces.
China has sought to portray itself as a neutral party in the Ukraine conflict, but Washington has said Beijing’s moves could be a “stalling tactic” to help Moscow. The US has accused Beijing of considering exporting arms to Moscow, claims China has vociferously denied.
The US secretary of state, Antony Blinken, said Xi’s Moscow visit “suggests that China feels no responsibility to hold the president accountable for the atrocities committed to Ukraine.
“And instead of even condemning, it would rather provide diplomatic cover for Russia to continue to commit those great crimes.”
Zelenskiy has said he would welcome talks with Xi, though there has been no indication from Beijing of any such plans.
Moscow and Beijing have over the past years ramped up cooperation, driven by a desire to counterbalance US global dominance.
Analysts say Xi’s efforts on Ukraine are unlikely to yield a cessation of hostilities, but his trip is being closely watched in western capitals.
Xi’s visit was lauded in state-run Chinese media on Tuesday, with most coverage focused on Xi’s comments and the strength of the bilateral relationship. None of the pieces mentioned the recent ICC arrest warrant for Putin over alleged war crimes.
“The two sides have set a fine example for developing a new model of major country relations featuring mutual respect, peaceful coexistence and win-win cooperation,” China Daily reported Xi as saying.
Official news agency Xinhua said exchanges between the two leaders were “the compass and anchor of China-Russia relations”, which were “brimming with new dynamism and vitality” under Xi and Putin. Multiple reports plastered the masthead’s online front page, and a separate page was dedicated to the visit.
Russia is framing Xi’s trip, his first since securing an unprecedented third term this month, as proof that it has not been isolated by the global community as the war in Ukraine, now in its 13th month, drags on.
