ISLAMABAD/MOSCOW: Russian President Vladimir Putin has hoped Chinese President Xi Jinping show solidarity against Western dominance when the latter arrives in Moscow on Monday.
At the same time, Xi is expected to present his country as a global peacemaker intent on ending the Ukraine war.
Xi will be the first global leader to shake Putin’s hand since the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for the Russian PResident on Friday over deportation of the Ukrainian children to Russia after the start of the war. Russia has rejected the charge.
Putin welcomes Xi
Moscow will present Xi’s trip, his first since securing the unprecedented third term this month, as an evidence it has an important friend prepared to stand with it against the west that is trying to defeat and isolate it.
For President Xi, the visit will be a diplomatic tightrope, with China releasing a 12-point proposal to resolve the Ukraine issue while strengthening ties with its ally.
In an article published at the beginning of his visit to Russia, Xi said China’s proposal, released last month, reflects world views and seeks to neutralise consequences but acknowledged that solutions were challenging.
“The document serves as a constructive factor in neutralising the consequences of the issues and promoting the political settlement,” Xi wrote in the article in Rossiiskaya Gazeta, a daily published by the Russian government, according to Reuters.
Xi said that “complex problems don’t have simple solutions.”
Ukraine and its western allies would likely dismiss any attempt to secure the ceasefire as little more than a ploy to buy Putin some time to reinforce and delay the widely-expected Ukrainian counter-offensive.
Ukrainian President Zelenskiy has said he will consider peace settlements after Russian troops leave Ukrainian territories.
