Isolated President Putin plans to meet with President Xi to rally support for the war, but a cautious China is wary of punitive measures from the West.
President Vladimir Putin signaled his approval of China’s plan as a “genuine desire” to end the war in Ukraine during a visit to Beijing to shore up support from key international partners.
In an interview with China’s state-run Xinhua news agency published on Wednesday ahead of a two-day visit to Japan for talks with President Xi Jinping, Putin praised Beijing’s approach, saying it would “understand the root causes” of the conflict and its “global He said he truly understands the geopolitical implications of the ”.
China’s 12-point document to end the war was met with a cold reception when it was released last year. But Putin praised the additional measures announced last month as “realistic and constructive measures” that “develop the idea of the need to overcome the Cold War mentality.”
Xi’s additional principles were set out in a meeting with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz to “calm down” the situation, restore peace and create stability, and minimize the impact on the global economy. I’m looking for conditions.
Ukrainian presidential aide Mykhailo Podlyak on Wednesday dismissed President Vladimir Putin’s comments about possible war negotiations as “hypocritical.”
Putin is scheduled to arrive in Beijing on Thursday, his first overseas trip since his re-election in March and his second visit to China in just over six months. He will also travel to the northeastern city of Harbin for a trade and investment expo.
China is cautious
Russia and China declared “unrestricted” relations days before Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, but China has so far provided no actual weapons or ammunition to Russia’s war effort. avoid doing.
Russia is eyeing China as a key economic lifeline as Western countries impose unprecedented sanctions over military attacks.
Since then, the two countries have pushed trade to record highs. China has benefited from cheap energy imports from Russia and access to vast natural resources, including reliable gas shipments through the Power of Siberia pipeline.
However, China, which is already engaged in a trade war with the United States, is wary of exposing its economic and military cooperation with Russia to further scrutiny from Western countries.
The United States on Tuesday imposed massive new tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles, advanced batteries, solar cells, steel, aluminum and medical equipment. China promised immediate retaliation and vowed to take steps to protect its interests.
China is already the target of punitive measures over the war. This month, the United States announced sanctions against more than 280 companies, including 20 based in China and Hong Kong, in the latest effort to cripple Russia’s military and industrial capabilities.
peace summit
Russia views the Ukraine conflict as a struggle against a “collective West” that has ignored security concerns by promoting the eastward expansion of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and military activity near its borders.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s peace plan calls for the withdrawal of Russian troops, the restoration of borders after the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, and accountability for Russia’s actions.
He has spent much effort trying to persuade China to attend a “peace summit” scheduled for June in Switzerland.
But Russia, which was not invited, has dismissed the initiative as nonsensical, insisting that negotiations must take into account “new realities”.
Podlyak, a close aide to President Zelensky, posted on X about “President Putin’s hypocritical ‘negotiations’ activities,” adding, “At the same time, Russia continues to burn down cities in Donbass and is trying to break through to the Kharkiv region, while at the same time fighting against terrorism.” “It’s increasing crime,” he added. Civilian”.
once again, #Putin‘s hypocritical “negotiation” activities. Again, under the guise of traditional Russian “diplomacy”, he speaks of the ultimatum’s demand for recognition of “the invincibility of the RF”…
at the same time, #Russia Continuing to burn the cities of Donbass, trying to break through…
— Михайло Подоляк (@Podlyak_M) May 15, 2024
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, during a visit to Ukraine, said Russia should and must pay to rebuild what it has destroyed in the country, and that the US would seek to seize Russian assets. He added that he intends to use that power.
President Zelenskiy asked Mr. Blinken to provide the Patriot missile defense system to the city of Kharkov, near the Russian border, as Russian forces continue to expand in the region.
