President Xi Jinping landed in Moscow on Monday for a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin that the Chinese leader has dubbed a “journey of peace”. The visit may provide a political boost for Putin after the International Criminal Court charged him with war crimes in Ukraine. Read FRANCE 24’s liveblog to follow the day’s developments. All times are Paris time [GMT + 1].
1:24pm: UK says Xi should press Putin to end war and ‘atrocities’ in Ukraine
Britain said Monday that President Xi Jinping should back up China’s stated support for respect of territorial integrity and demand that Russia end its war in Ukraine.
“We hope President Xi uses this opportunity to press President (Vladimir) Putin to cease bombing Ukrainian cities, hospitals, schools, to halt some of these atrocities that we are seeing on a daily basis,” Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s spokesman said as Xi and Putin prepared to meet in Moscow.
11:14am: China’s leader Xi in Moscow for meeting with Putin
Chinese leader Xi Jinping arrived in Moscow on Monday on a three-day visit that offers a strong political boost for Russian President Vladimir Putin as fighting in Ukraine grinds on.
China and Russia have described Xi’s trip as part of efforts to further deepen their “no-limits friendship”.
The Kremlin has welcomed China’s peace plan for Ukraine and said it would be discussed in talks between Putin and Xi that will begin over dinner on Monday.
Beijing has called for a ceasefire, but Washington strongly rejected the idea as the effective ratification of the Kremlin’s battlefield gains.
10:55am: Putin to offer ‘clarifications’ on Russia’s position on Ukraine during Xi visit, Kremlin says
President Vladimir Putin will provide Chinese President Xi Jinping with detailed “clarifications” on Russia’s point of view on the Ukraine conflict during Xi’s state visit to Russia that begins on Monday, the Kremlin said.
During a call with reporters, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the two leaders would discuss themes in a peace plan for Ukraine proposed by Beijing last month.
“One way or another, the topics that figured in this plan will inevitably be touched upon during the exchange of views on Ukraine” between Putin and Xi, Peskov said.
“But here, of course, exhaustive clarifications will be given by President Putin, so that President Xi can get a first-hand view of the current moment from the Russian side.”
10:36am: Xi, Putin hail ties ahead of ‘journey of peace’ to Moscow
Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin applauded on Monday the solidity of their alliance as the Chinese leader headed to Moscow for a summit with the internationally isolated Russian president.
Xi described his trip as a “journey of friendship, cooperation and peace”, though China has been criticised by Western nations for what they consider tacit backing and diplomatic cover for Russia’s war in Ukraine.
“I look forward to working with President Putin to jointly adopt a new vision” for relations, Xi wrote in a signed article in the newspaper Russian Gazette that was also carried by Chinese state news agency Xinhua. FRANCE 24’s Beijing correspondent Yena Lee provides more details in the video below.
Xi in Russia 2023 (C) France 24
10:06am: Ukraine demands Russia withdraw troops as Xi due to arrive in Moscow
Kyiv on Monday called on Russia to withdraw its forces from Ukraine, hours ahead of a highly anticipated visit to Russia by Chinese President Xi Jinping, his first to Moscow since the invasion of Ukraine.
“The formula for the successful implementation of China’s ‘Peace Plan’. The first and foremost point is the surrender or withdrawal of Russian occupation forces from (Ukrainian territory) in accordance with international law and the UN Charter,” the secretary of Ukraine’s National Security and Defence Council, Oleksiy Danilov, wrote on Twitter.
8:00am: Putin to welcome Xi to Moscow under shadow of Ukraine war
Russian President Vladimir Putin will expect Chinese President Xi Jinping to show solidarity against Western hegemony when he arrives in Moscow on Monday, while Xi will present China as a global peacemaker intent on brokering an end to the Ukraine war.
Xi will be the first world leader to shake Putin’s hand since the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued an arrest warrant for the Russian leader on Friday over the deportation of Ukrainian children to Russia since the start of the war. Moscow rejects the charge.
7:30am: ICC’s decision on Putin will have horrible consequences for law, says Medvedev
Former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev said on Monday the International Criminal Court’s decision to issue an arrest warrant for Vladimir Putin will have horrible consequences for international law.
“They decided to try a president of … a nuclear power that does not participate in the ICC on the same grounds as the United States and other countries,” Medvedev wrote in a post on the Telegram messaging app.
“The consequences for international law will be monstrous.”
(FRANCE 24 with AFP, AP & Reuters)
(C) France M?dias Monde graphic studio