Vladimir Putin praised Xi Jinping’s “balanced” position on Ukraine on Monday and said he considered Beijing’s peace plan “with respect”, at the start of a visit by the Chinese president to Moscow sealing their proximity to the West. .
As Mr. Xi’s three-day state visit to Russia sounds like support for Mr. Putin, the United States and the European Union have shown their support for Kiev by announcing new military aid .
And the head of American diplomacy, Antony Blinken, called on “the world not to be fooled” by China’s proposals to settle the conflict in Ukraine which, since the massive Russian offensive in February 2022, has brought about a rapprochement between Moscow and Beijing.
China, which claims diplomatic influence commensurate with the weight of its economy, is posing as a mediator and last month released a document calling on Moscow and kyiv in particular to invest in peace talks.
“We are always open to a process of negotiations. We will undoubtedly discuss all these issues, including your initiatives, which we treat with respect,” Putin said at the start of his meeting with Xi in the Kremlin. .
“I know that you (…) have a fair and balanced position on the most pressing international issues,” he added.
The Chinese president, meanwhile, hailed the “close relations” between Beijing and Moscow, according to the official Russian translation of his remarks.
In an article published in a Russian newspaper, Xi Jinping had presented his visit to Russia as a “journey of friendship, cooperation and peace”.
For Mr. Putin, Mr. Xi’s visit is all the more important as he is increasingly isolated in the West and targeted since last week by an arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court.
At the end of their “informal” tete-a-tete on Monday – which lasted four and a half hours – the Russian head of state escorted his guest out of the Kremlin.
They will hold more formal discussions on Tuesday with the expected signing of agreements to deepen Russian-Chinese cooperation, particularly in the economic sphere.
If China, strong from its role in the recent reconciliation between Saudi Arabia and Iran, puts forward its proposals for a settlement of the situation in Ukraine, it has difficulty in convincing Western countries.
The United States, which accuses the Chinese authorities of considering delivering weapons to Russia, which they strongly deny, thus criticized the Beijing peace plan on Monday.
“The world should not be fooled by any tactical decision by Russia, backed by China or any other country, to freeze the conflict on its own terms,” Blinken told reporters.
For its part, kyiv, which plays caution with the Chinese giant, urged Mr. Xi on Monday to “use his influence on Moscow to end the war of aggression”.
As if to signify its support for Ukraine in the face of Beijing’s support for Moscow, the European Union said on Monday that it had released two billion euros to buy and deliver artillery ammunition to the Ukrainian army.
In the process, Washington announced a new tranche of aid, of 350 million dollars, and assured kyiv of its support “as long as necessary”.
Beyond Ukraine, this summit is intended to display the understanding between Russia and China, at a time when these two countries are experiencing strong tensions with the West, even if Moscow seems more dependent on Beijing than the reverse. .
In an article published by a Chinese daily, Mr. Putin, who needs this closeness with Beijing more than ever, judged that Russian-Chinese relations had “reached the highest point in their history”.
Chinese diplomacy in this regard called on Monday the International Criminal Court, whose headquarters are in The Hague (Netherlands), to avoid any “politicization” and to respect the immunity of heads of state.
Moscow, for its part, reacted to the arrest warrant issued by this court against Mr. Putin by announcing on Monday a criminal investigation against several magistrates of the ICC.
As a sign of defiance, Mr. Putin went this weekend to Mariupol, a Ukrainian city devastated by Russian bombing.
But beyond diplomatic support, Mr. Xi’s visit also has economic significance for Russia, which has massively reoriented its economy towards China in the face of Western sanctions linked to the conflict in Ukraine.
In particular, it has increased its hydrocarbon exports to the Asian giants to compensate for European embargoes. This makes it increasingly dependent on Beijing, according to analysts.
On the ground of military operations in eastern Ukraine, the boss of the Russian paramilitary group Wagner, Yevgeny Prigojine, said on Monday that his men controlled “about 70%” of the city of Bakhmout, the scene of intense fighting since. last summer.
He also said he expected a counter-offensive by the Ukrainian army at the end of March-beginning of April, which he said was intended to “cut off Wagner’s units from the main forces of the Russian army”.
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20/03/2023 20:33:17 – Moscow (AFP) – © 2023 AFP