By Oyintari Ben
On Monday, Russian President Vladimir Putin welcomed Chinese President Xi Jinping to Moscow to win support against Western pressure over his country’s involvement in the conflict in Ukraine. Xi is anticipated to stress China’s intention to serve as a mediator in the dispute.
After the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued an arrest warrant for him on Friday concerning the repatriation of Ukrainian children to Russia following its invasion, Xi will be the first head of state to shake Putin’s hand.
Moscow referred to the accusation as one of several “obviously hostile demonstrations,” while Beijing claimed it reflected unfairness.
Russia is using Xi’s trip, his first since winning an unprecedented third term last month, as proof that it has a strong ally ready to stand against a hostile West that it accuses of attempting to isolate and dethrone Moscow.
In a piece from China’s People’s Daily posted on the Kremlin website, Putin stated that he had high hopes for the visit from his “good old friend,” adding that he could feel the geopolitical situation in the outside world changing dramatically.
The trip is a diplomatic balancing act for Xi.
China published a 12-point plan to end the Ukraine situation while fostering closer ties with Moscow.
China has constantly denied Western suspicions that it is preparing to arm Russia. However, it now claims it wants to forge a better relationship in energy after increasing its imports of Russian coal, gas, and oil in the wake of Putin’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Beijing has saved billions of dollars due to the Western sanctions against Russian energy.
Xi arrived in Moscow on Monday afternoon and was scheduled to have dinner with Putin after their “informal” meetings.
Tuesday is designated for official discussions.
