Last Update: March 20, 2023, 05:30 AM IST
Russian President Vladimir Putin welcomed China’s willingness to play a “constructive role” in resolving the Ukraine crisis. (Picture: AFP)
Xi and Putin signed a “no borders” partnership agreement weeks before the invasion last year
Russian President Vladimir Putin welcomed China’s willingness to play a “constructive role” in resolving the Ukraine crisis in an article released on Sunday on the eve of a visit by his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping.
In what the Kremlin said was an article written for a Chinese newspaper, Putin called Xi his “good old friend” and said Russia had high hopes for his visit, launched last year by Putin as his “special military operation”. This is the first visit of the Chinese leader to Russia since ,
“We are grateful to (China) for its balanced line regarding the events taking place in Ukraine, for understanding their background and real reasons. We welcome China’s willingness to play a constructive role in resolving the crisis.
Xi and Putin signed a “no borders” partnership agreement weeks before the invasion last year. China has remained publicly neutral in the Ukraine conflict, while criticizing Western sanctions against Russia and affirming its close ties with Moscow.
Beijing last month published a 12-point paper calling for talks and a solution in Ukraine, but it contained only general statements and no concrete proposals for how the year-long war could end.
Ukraine, which says any agreement would require Russia to withdraw from all territory it seized in 2014, including the Crimean peninsula Russia seized, cautiously welcomed the Chinese proposal.
Given China’s refusal to condemn Russia’s invasion, the United States has reacted with extreme skepticism, saying the ceasefire will only halt Russian territorial gains and give Putin time to regroup his military. Will give more time
Washington has said since last month that it was concerned that China could provide arms to Russia, which Beijing has denied.
Putin said Russia-China relations were at a historic high and that they were coordinating their foreign policy to fight common threats as US efforts to engage the two countries took on an “ever sharper and more assertive character”.
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(This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from a syndicated news agency feed)
