This article was originally published by Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and is reprinted with permission.
Russian President Vladimir Putin praised his strengthening partnership with China during a state visit to Beijing where Chinese leader Xi Jinping pledged to play a constructive role in helping Europe return to “peace and stability.”
The two leaders — who declared a “no limits” partnership between their country shortly before Moscow’s February 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine — said during a joint appearance on May 16 that they signed new documents to deepen cooperation between their countries.
Putin, who is looking for more support to sustain his country’s isolated economy and war machine in Ukraine, said their relationship is “one of the main stabilizing factors in the international arena.”
Xi said the two countries were furthering their relationship as “good neighbors, good friends, good partners,” and that both he and Putin agreed on the need for a “political solution” to the war in Ukraine.
“China hopes for the early return of Europe to peace and stability and will continue to play a constructive role toward this,” Xi said, speaking alongside Putin.
Despite expressing neutrality towards the war in Ukraine, China has emerged as the Kremlin’s leading international supporter by supplying Russia with key components that Moscow needs for its productions of weapons and as a vital consumer for oil and gas that has helped boost the Russian economy.
The high-profile state visit comes as Russian forces have made small advances on the battlefield and pressed an offensive in northeastern Ukraine’s Kharkiv region, already forcing almost 8,000 people to flee their homes.
In February 2023, China offered a broad 12-point plan for peace outlining general principles for ending the war in Ukraine, but didn’t offer new specifics on how Beijing might be prepared to engage with both sides of the conflict.
On the eve of Putin’s departure to Beijing, he said in an interview with China’s state-run official Xinhua News Agency that the Kremlin was willing to begin negotiations over Ukraine under certain conditions.
“We are open to a dialogue on Ukraine, but such negotiations must take into account the interests of all countries involved in the conflict, including ours,” Putin was quoted as saying in a written interview.
Xi recently returned from a trip to Europe where he visited France, Serbia, and Hungary and discussed the war in Ukraine on his tour with European leaders.
Putin said that he would inform Xi about “the situation around the Ukrainian crisis” during their informal dinner in the evening, where the leaders, along with a substantive delegation of top officials, will meet behind closed doors.
Before their remarks, Xi and Putin signed a joint statement on deepening their comprehensive strategic partnership between their two countries.
Xi described negotiations as “frank, friendly, and substantive,” while Putin said that they had been “warm and businesslike.”
Russia has become increasingly economically dependent on China as Western sanctions cut its access to much of the international trading system and Putin said that Russian and Chinese banks would be strengthening their contacts. He also praised Xi’s signature Belt and Road Initiative.
Neither leader commented on the status of the Power of Siberia-2 gas pipeline, which would supply China with gas from fields previously serving European markets.
Following informal meetings and a state dinner, Putin will travel on May 17 to attend an economic forum in Harbin, a city in northeastern China with strong cultural, historical, and business ties to Russia.
