Putin, Xi discussed Chinese peace proposal, says Kremlin

Moscow: The Kremlin said on Tuesday that Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese leader Xi Jinping had held a “thorough” exchange of views during their first day of talks and had discussed Beijing’s peace plan for Ukraine.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov declined to give further details, telling reporters to wait for a joint statement later on Tuesday after the two leaders meet for a second day of talks.

“There was a very thorough exchange of views, a serious conversation in the informal part,” he said, referring to Monday’s meeting.

He said the two leaders had talked about China’s proposal - a 12-point paper calling for a de-escalation and eventual ceasefire in Ukraine - but again declined to elaborate.

Putin said on Monday he had carefully studied China’s ideas, viewed them with respect and would discuss them with Xi.

The Chinese document sets out some general principles but contains no detailed plan for how to end the war, now in its 13th month.

The United States has been dismissive of it, given China’s refusal to condemn Russia’s invasion, and says any ceasefire resulting from it now would just lock in Russian territorial gains and give Putin’s army more time to regroup.

China has refrained from condemning its ally Russia or referring to Moscow’s intervention in its neighbour as an “invasion”. It has also criticised Western sanctions on Russia.

Kyiv, which says the war cannot end until Russia pulls out its troops, has been circumspect towards China, cautiously welcoming Beijing’s peace proposal when it was unveiled last month.

The White House urged Chinese President Xi Jinping on Monday to use his visit to Moscow this week to tell Russian President Vladimir Putin to respect Ukraine’s sovereignty and end Russia’s war against Ukraine. John Kirby, the White House national security spokesperson, told reporters the United States is concerned that Xi, currently on a trip to Moscow, will reiterate calls for a ceasefire that would leave Russian forces inside Ukrainian sovereign territory.

Kirby said Xi should speak with Ukrainian President Volodomyr Zelenskiy about the impact of the war on Ukraine.

“We encourage President Xi to press President Putin directly on the need to respect Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. The world and China’s neighbors will certainly be watching closely,” he said.

Xi and Putin seem to be connected in “a bit of a marriage of convenience” rather than one of affection, Kirby said. “These are two countries that have long chafed at U.S. leadership around the world,” he said.