Chinese President Xi Jinping met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Monday amid the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war.
Xi kicked off his three-day visit to Russia with a dinner with Putin, who was showered with praise by the Chinese leader.
“It is true that both of our countries share the same, or some similar goals. We have exerted efforts for the prosperity of our respective countries…we can cooperate and work together to achieve our goals,” Xi told Putin. “I’m very happy that I can visit Russia again, at your invitation. And that Russia is the first country that I visited after my re-election as China’s President.”
“I know that the Russia presidential election is next year. Russia’s development has significantly improved under your firm leadership. I believe that the Russian people will continue to strongly support you,” he added.
Putin then told Xi that China has made a “colossal leap forward” in recent years, which has made other countries across the globe jealous of his achievements.
“Symbolically, we met here 10 years during your first visit as an elected representative of China. In this time, we made progress in relations. We have many common interests and goals,” he said.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken called Xi’s visit a “diplomatic cover” for Russia’s war crimes after the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued an arrest warrant for Putin on war crimes charges.
“That President Xi is traveling to Russia days after the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for President Putin suggests that China feels no responsibility to hold the Kremlin accountable for the atrocities committed in Ukraine,” Blinken said during a news conference at the State Department on the release of the 2022 Human Rights Report.
“And instead of even condemning them, it would rather provide diplomatic cover for Russia to continue to commit those very crimes.”
This comes as China has reportedly called for a cease-fire and peace talks between Ukraine and Russia on Friday.
China, which has taken a neutral stance since the war broke out in February last year, claims that by giving Ukraine defense equipment, the West is “fanning the flames” of the conflict.
However, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has cautiously entertained the idea of China getting involved with the peace talks, but said success would depend on actions.
“I believe that the fact that China started talking about Ukraine is not bad,” Zelenskyy said last month. “But the question is what follows the words. The question is in the steps and where they will lead to.”
