Putin arrives in Beijing on Thursday to meet his "dear friend" Xi Jinping, seeking to win greater support from China for his war effort in Ukraine and isolated economy.
The visit, in which he will also travel to the northeastern city of Harbin for a trade and investment expo, is Putin's first trip abroad since his March re-election and his second in just over six months to China.
"We commend China's approaches to resolving the crisis in Ukraine," Putin told the Xinhua state news agency in a Moscow interview, which was also carried in English on the Kremlin website.
"Beijing is well aware of its root causes and global geopolitical significance," Putin said, referring to a 12-point position paper published by China in February 2023 on reaching a political settlement to the crisis.
"The ideas and proposals contained in the document show the genuine desire of our Chinese friends to help stabilise the situation," Putin said.
Days before Russia launched its full-scale military assault on Ukraine in February 2022, Beijing and Moscow declared a "no limits" partnership and have since boosted trade to record highs.
Moscow has looked to China as a crucial economic lifeline since the West hit Russia with unprecedented sanctions over its military offensive.
China has meanwhile benefited from cheap Russian energy imports and access to vast natural resources, including steady gas shipments via the Power of Siberia pipeline.
But their close economic partnership has come under scrutiny in the West, with the United States threatening to sanction overseas banks and companies that work with Moscow.
Scholz tempers expectations for Ukraine peace summit
Berlin (AFP) May 14, 2024 -
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Tuesday said a Ukraine war peace summit being hosted by Switzerland next month was unlikely to bring an end to the conflict.
"At best, it is the start of a process that could lead to direct talks between Ukraine and Russia," Scholz said in an interview with the German weekly Stern.
The June summit would discuss "the safety of nuclear power plants, grain exports, prisoner exchanges" and the risk of a nuclear escalation, Scholz said.
But the chancellor warned that "nobody should have excessive expectations", adding: "We are not negotiating the end of the war".
He likened the talks to a "delicate little flower".
Switzerland has invited more than 160 delegations to the peace conference, although Russia is not currently on the list.
Russia, which launched its full-scale invasion of neighbouring Ukraine in February 2022, has dismissed the Lucerne event as a US-orchestrated plot.
Moscow has repeatedly said it will not participate in any talks unless Kyiv accepts Russia's annexation of the roughly 20 percent of Ukraine's territory it currently occupies.
The attendance of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and US President Joe Biden has not been confirmed.
Another big unknown is whether Moscow's key ally China will attend.
"We are trying to ensure that countries that are not wholehearted supporters of Ukraine also take part. Brazil, South Africa or China for example," Scholz said in the interview.
Meanwhile, Russian President Vladimir "Putin continues his merciless campaign against Ukraine unabated", Scholz said.
Russian troops last week launched a surprise new ground offensive in the Kharkiv region, which has forced thousands to evacuate and pushed Kyiv to mobilise reinforcements.
Ukraine would "need our support for a long time", Scholz said.
Related Links
Space War News
| Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters |
| Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters |
