Vladimir Putin said Tuesday he had "very important and frank" talks with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping, saying he was confident that relations between Beijing and Moscow would "grow stronger". "A very important and frank exchange of views on the prospects for the development of Russian-Chinese relations has just taken place," Vladimir Putin said after talks with Xi Jinping in the Kremlin. "I am confident that our varied and mutually beneficial cooperation will continue to grow stronger. »
For his part, Chinese leader Xi Jinping said on Tuesday that he wanted to "strengthen coordination" between China and Russia. "I propose to strengthen cooperation and coordination" between the two countries, permanent members of the UN Security Council, Xi said, according to the official Russian translation of his remarks. "I am ready to develop with you a plan for the strengthening of bilateral relations," he added.
Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin showed their unity against Westerners on Tuesday, March 21, the second day of the Chinese President's state visit to Russia. The latter reiterated "the priority" he gave to "strategic" relations between Moscow and Beijing, two "great powers". Xi Jinping further considered that his move responds to a "historical logic", because "we are the largest neighboring powers and strategic partners at all levels".
The Chinese president, who was speaking during a meeting with Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin, also said that Beijing "will continue to give priority to the comprehensive strategic partnership between China and Russia", according to remarks reported by Russian news agencies.
Then he was welcomed by Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday by his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping in the Kremlin for a summit devoted in particular to the conflict in Ukraine and the increasingly close bilateral relations between Beijing and Moscow.
According to footage broadcast by Russian television channels, Vladimir Putin greeted Xi Jinping with a firm handshake, then a military band played the anthems of the two countries. After the welcoming ceremony, the two leaders are to have formal discussions, the day after an initial "informal" meeting that lasted more than four hours.
Vladimir Putin said he was ready to discuss a Chinese initiative to end this conflict, on the basis of a document published last month by Beijing and calling in particular for peace negotiations. But China must engage "directly" with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky if it wants its peace plan to be taken seriously, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said on Tuesday.
"It is up to Ukraine to decide what are the acceptable conditions for any peaceful solution", recalled Jens Stoltenberg during a press briefing at the headquarters of the Atlantic Alliance in Brussels for the presentation of the report of activities of NATO in 2022. "China must understand Ukraine's point of view and engage directly with President Zelensky," he argued.
"Any peace solution for Ukraine must be based on respect for the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine," he insisted. "A ceasefire or any solution that does not respect Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity will only be a way to freeze the war and allow Russia to rebuild its forces and attack at new. It will not be a just and lasting peace,” he warned.
Jens Stoltenberg also once again urged Beijing not to supply arms to Russia.
During an "informal" meeting on Monday, Putin and Xi displayed their agreement, for example by giving each other "dear friend". During this first meeting, which lasted more than four hours, Vladimir Putin said he was ready to discuss an initiative from Beijing aimed at stopping this conflict. The Russian president showered his powerful Chinese host with praise, particularly praising his "fair and balanced stance on international issues".
But if China poses as an intermediary in Ukraine, the West judges that Beijing supports Moscow too much to be credible. Washington even accuses the Chinese authorities of considering supplying arms to Russia, which they deny. Others in the West believe that China could take inspiration from the Russian attack in Ukraine to take control of Taiwan.
Also Monday, the head of the American diplomacy, Antony Blinken, asserted that "the world must not be fooled by any tactical decision by Russia, supported by China or any other country, to freeze the conflict (in Ukraine) on his own terms." Antony Blinken pointed out that Xi Jinping visited Russia just three days after the ICC's arrest warrant for Vladimir Putin, which the US diplomat said suggests that China does not feel the need "to hold the (Russian) President accountable for the atrocities inflicted on Ukraine".
For its part, kyiv, cautious about Chinese intentions, on Monday urged Xi Jinping to "use his influence on Moscow to end the war of aggression". Xi Jinping also said he had invited the Russian president to visit him in China "when he can this year", despite the arrest warrant issued last week by the International Criminal Court against the master of the Kremlin.
Questioned by AFP, the French expert Antoine Bondaz, a specialist in Chinese diplomacy, believes that Beijing is seeking to promote in the Ukrainian file an "image of a factor of stability [...] particularly with non-Western countries", while trying to "delegitimize democratic regimes".
In recent years, Beijing and Moscow have indeed posed as geopolitical counterweights to American power and its allies. But in addition to geopolitical considerations, economic issues will be at the heart of discussions on Tuesday between Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping.
The Chinese leader's visit to Russia comes as the latter has massively reoriented its economy towards Beijing, in the face of heavy Western sanctions against it. As a symbol of this growing economic integration, Russian gas giant Gazprom announced on Tuesday that it had delivered a "record" amount of gas via the cross-border "Siberian Force" pipeline the day before.
According to the Kremlin, Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin are due to sign several documents on Tuesday, including a joint statement on deepening their economic relations by 2030.
Coincidence of the calendar? While Xi Jinping shows his support for Moscow in full tension with Western countries, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida is expected in Ukraine on Tuesday for a surprise visit.
Fumio Kishida will convey to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky "his respect for the courage and perseverance of the Ukrainian people who defend their homeland under his command, as well as the unfailing solidarity and support for Ukraine, Japan and the G7", said said Japanese diplomacy.
Fumio Kishida was the only leader from the group yet to be in Kyiv since the start of the Russian offensive against Ukraine in February 2022. Tokyo joined Western sanctions against Russia and announced in February a new aid of 5.5 billion dollars (5.1 billion euros) to Ukraine.
Consult our file: War in Ukraine
