During a joint press conference with Xi Jinping in Moscow, Vladimir Putin has welcomed China’s proposals for peace in Ukraine
At a joint news conference held at the Kremlin after two days of talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping, Vladimir Putin discussed Beijing’s peace plan for Ukraine.
, Putin said Beijing’s peace plan “correlates to the point of view of the Russian Federation” and said that Ukraine’s western allies so far have shown no interest in it.
Last month, China put forward a 12-point peace plan for dealing with the war.
The paper 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 critically did not suggest Russia withdraw its forces.
On Monday, US secretary of state, Antony Blinken, voiced scepticism over China’s “peace” proposals, warning that they could be a “stalling tactic” to help Russian troops on the ground in Ukraine.
“The world should not be fooled by any tactical move by Russia, supported by China or any other country, to freeze the war on its own terms.”
On Tuesday, White House national security council spokesperson John Kirby said the US does not see China as capable of being an impartial mediator between Moscow and Kyiv over the war in Ukraine.
It was the most direct criticism yet of China’s aim to be a middleman in efforts to end the war.
“I don’t think you can reasonably look at China as impartial in any way,” he said.
He noted that China has refrained from criticising the Russian invasion of Ukraine and has continued to buy Russian oil even as the west piles sanctions on Moscow’s energy industry to starve the Kremlin of money to pay for the war.
China, Kirby added, also “keeps parroting the Russian propaganda”.
Kyiv has previously said that any talks would be contingent on the complete restoration of Ukraine’s territory.
Xi, who seeks to play the role of global peacemaker, on Tuesday repeated China’s position that it supported peace talks and said that Beijing has always taken an “objective” and “impartial” view of the conflict. He added that he and Putin have “established close relations and built strategic communication”.
Xi’s statements, which carefully repeated Beijing’s previous position on the war, suggested that the talks provided no major breakthrough in the peace efforts.
Still, Xi’s trip to Moscow, his first state visit since the invasion, has been viewed as a major boost for Putin and provides Moscow with an opportunity to emphasise that it has not been isolated by the global community.
Speaking after their meeting on Tuesday, Putin said that the relationship between Russia and China was “at the peak of its historical development”.
Xi in turn said that “our two sides must enhance communication and cooperate closely, promoting new and greater advancement in practical cooperation between our two countries”.
As expected, the two countries also discussed the growing economic ties and energy cooperation during their three-hour-long talks on Tuesday.
