Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin set their sights on shaping a new world order as the Chinese leader left Moscow on Wednesday, having offered no direct support for Putin’s war in Ukraine during his two-day visit.
Xi showed strong solidarity with Putin against the West, but made little mention of the conflict in Ukraine and said on Tuesday that China had a “neutral stance”. There was no indication that Xi’s efforts to play peacemaker had yielded results.
However, when Xi left, he told Putin: “Now there are changes that have not happened in 100 years. When we are together, we lead these changes.”
“I agree,” Putin said, to which Xi replied: “Take care of yourself, my dear friend, please.”
Commenting on the meeting between Xi and Putin, the White House said China’s position was not neutral and urged Beijing to pressure Russia to withdraw from Ukraine’s sovereign territory in order to end Europe’s biggest conflict since World War II.
As Xi left Moscow, Ukraine faced a new series of Russian drone attacks, which killed at least three people and damaged some infrastructure across the country, shortly after Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida left Kiev.
Kishida’s surprise visit to the Ukrainian capital drew some attention from Xi’s trip.
Xi’s visit to Moscow, heralded by the Kremlin as a show of support from his staunchest friends, was marked by carefully staged pomp and ceremony, but the scene also featured much demonstrative heat between these two autocrats.
Xi and Putin have referred to each other as good friends, promising economic cooperation and describing the relations between their countries as their best ever.
“they [the leaders] We shared the view that this relationship has transcended the bilateral scale and has assumed crucial importance for the global landscape and the future of humanity.
“We are working in solidarity on the formation of a more just and democratic multipolar world order, which should be based on the central role of the United Nations, its Security Council, international law, the goals and principles of the UN Charter,” Putin said on the Kremlin’s website.
In a previous joint statement, the leaders accused the West of undermining global stability and NATO of intruding into the Asia-Pacific region, but stressed that the close partnership between China and Russia does not constitute a “military-political alliance.”
On Ukraine, Putin praised Xi for the peace plan he proposed last month, blaming Kiev and the West for rejecting it. The West sees the Chinese peace plan as a ploy to buy time for Putin to regroup and consolidate his hold on occupied territories.
China’s 12-point plan contains no specifics on how to end the bloody year-old war, which has killed tens of thousands and forced millions to flee.
The West has sought to isolate Russia through global sanctions, and Putin faces an arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court.
None of these moves have been backed by China and the West fears they may help arm Russia in its conflict, which Beijing has denied.
As Xi and Putin wrapped up their talks on Tuesday, the International Monetary Fund announced a preliminary agreement with Kiev on a four-year loan package of about $15.6 billion for the embattled state.
Pentagon spokesman Brigadier General Patrick Ryder told reporters that the United States separately intends to expedite the delivery of 31 Abrams tanks to Ukraine until the fall.
Kiev demanded tanks and other advanced Western military equipment as the conflict slowed into a war of attrition with both sides suffering heavy losses.
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