Chinese leader Xi Jinping arrived in Moscow on Monday for three days of talks, in the strongest show yet of support for Russia, and his first visit there, since its invasion of Ukraine last year. Beijing has billed the state visit as a peace mission, which comes as a welcome show of solidarity for an increasingly isolated Moscow. Xi and Russian President Vladimir Putin are styling themselves as the leaders of a new world order — and their alignment is based largely on shared opposition to U.S. power.
The talks began Monday at the Kremlin with an initial handshake between the two, who sat and held a brief exchange before the press. Putin praised Xi’s leadership and said he had “carefully studied” Beijing’s proposals regarding peace in Ukraine. Beijing has portrayed itself as a neutral party and even potential peacemaker in the war, although its 12-point proposal for ending the conflict includes no demands for Moscow to withdraw its troops. The two leaders went on to speak for 4½ hours about relations between their countries and China’s plan for ending the war in Ukraine, according to Russian state media outlets.
Here’s what else to know
- Chinese officials have remained tight-lipped on whether Xi will also speak to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky while on this week’s state visit, but Ukrainian officials have been signaling their willingness for such talks. “We expect Beijing to use its influence on Moscow to make it put an end to the aggressive war against Ukraine,” Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesman Oleg Nikolenko told The Washington Post.
- China has not formally endorsed Russia’s invasion but has stopped far short of condemning its aggression against Ukraine. In an article published in a Russian newspaper ahead of the visit, Xi said Beijing has “always taken an objective and impartial position” on the conflict.
- Secretary of State Antony Blinken said at a news conference in Washington that Xi’s visit indicated an unwillingness to hold Russia to account for atrocities committed in Ukraine.
