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Chinese President Xi Jinping arrived at Moscow’s Vnukovo Airport on March 20 for a three-day official visit to Russia.
After arriving, Xi told reporters that Moscow and Beijing “support the United Nations-centric international system” and work together to “uphold the world order based on international law and basic norms of international relations.” said he was trying [based on the] Principles of the Charter of the United Nations. “
Xi, quoted by Russia’s TASS news agency, said the two countries are great powers and, as permanent members of the UN Security Council, seek to promote “multipolarization” and a “more just and rational” approach to global governance. said.
Xi, who won an unprecedented third term as China’s president earlier this month, said he plans to hold wide-ranging talks with Putin on bilateral relations and other issues of mutual interest.
He also expressed confidence that his visit will give “new impetus” to the development of China-Russia relations and a “new era” of strategic cooperation.
Ukraine on the agenda
Shortly before Xi’s arrival, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov also confirmed that the two leaders would discuss China’s proposals to resolve the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.
“The topic we are discussing is [Chinese] The plan will inevitably come up during the exchange of views on Ukraine, ”Peskov said.
He added that the Ukraine issue “will be on the agenda”.
The 12-point plan unveiled by Beijing earlier this month calls for an end to hostilities, a resumption of negotiations, guarantees to ensure the security of global supply chains, and an end to what it calls unilateral sanctions, a “Cold War mentality.” .
In a March 19 article in the People’s Daily, run by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), Putin called out the Chinese government’s “balanced stance on events in Ukraine” and its “historical background and root causes.” He expressed his gratitude for the understanding of
Putin also welcomed Beijing’s statement that it was “ready to make a meaningful contribution to the resolution of the crisis,” according to a translation of the Kremlin article.
Later in the same article, Putin claims that Moscow is “open to political and diplomatic solutions to the Ukrainian crisis.” He also said, “It was not Russia that broke off the peace talks. [with Kyiv] We will return in April 2022. “
According to Putin, the future of the Russian-Ukrainian peace process “depends only on their willingness to engage in meaningful discussions given the current geopolitical realities”.
Washington: Ceasefire ‘unacceptable’
On the same day Putin’s article was published, John Kirby of the US National Security Council said Putin’s and Xi’s demands for a ceasefire in Ukraine would be “unacceptable.”
Kirby said in televised comments that he “just approves of the Russian conquest so far.” “It just gives Putin more time to retrain, retrain, stay and plan new attacks at a time of his choosing.”
U.S. officials, along with officials in Kiev, have ruled out any negotiations until the Russian military completely withdraws from what it sees as occupied Ukrainian territory.
This includes the Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhia regions, which Moscow de facto annexed last September, and the Black Sea region of Crimea, which Moscow considers Russian Federation territory since 2014.
High-level peace talks were held in Istanbul last year between Russian and Ukrainian officials. Negotiations appeared to be making progress at one point, with both sides reportedly willing to make concessions.
But talks broke down after Ukrainian claims that Russian forces had killed civilians in the town of Bucha near Kiev. The United States and its NATO allies backed Kiev’s claims, but Moscow claims they were fabricated.
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