Russian President Vladimir Putin hosted his "dear friend," Chinese President Xi Jinping, for a dinner at the Kremlin on Monday, showcasing his relationship with his strongest ally just days after an international court called for the arrest of the Russian president for war crimes in Ukraine. Washington condemned Xi's visit, stating that the timing shows Beijing is providing Moscow with "diplomatic cover" to commit further atrocities. This was Xi's first foreign trip since winning an unprecedented third presidential term last month. The Chinese leader is attempting to portray Beijing as a potential peace broker in Ukraine, even as economic ties with his closest ally deepen.
Putin and Xi referred to each other as "dear friends" during their meeting in the Kremlin, and Russian state news agencies later reported that they engaged in informal talks for nearly four and a half hours, with formal discussions scheduled for the following Tuesday. In remarks broadcast on television after their greetings, Putin told Xi that he respects China's proposals for resolving the conflict in Ukraine and admitted that he "envies a little... China's very effective system for economic development and state strengthening."
Xi, for his part, praised Putin and predicted that Russians would reelect him next year, stating, "Thanks to your strong leadership, Russia has made significant progress toward the country's prosperity in recent years." Moscow has publicly promoted Xi's visit for months, but the timing of his visit this week gave the personal support for the Chinese leader new meaning, following a Friday arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court accusing Putin of war crimes for the deportation of children from Ukraine.
Moscow denies illegally deporting children, claiming it has taken in orphans to protect them. Moscow has initiated criminal proceedings against the ICC prosecutor and judges. Beijing stated that the court's warrant reflected double standards. The West has suggested that the warrant would leave the Russian president isolated.
China announced a 12-point proposal to resolve the Ukrainian crisis, which the West largely dismissed as a ploy to buy time for Putin to regroup his forces and strengthen his grip on occupied territories.
