Xi will travel to Moscow to see Putin, meet with Zelensky via video conference

The trip of the Chinese president to Moscow, Xi Jinping, announced for next week, according to information that the Reuters agency received from unknown sources, the central issue will probably be the search for a way out to stop the war. This also results from the fact that, according to The Wall Street Journalit is his turn to have a video conference with his Ukrainian colleague, Volodymyr Zelenskyafter a meeting in the capital of Russia with Vladimir Putin. It would be the first conversation between the top leaders of China and Ukraine since the beginning of the conflict. Russian news agency Tass reported on January 30 that Putin invited Xi to visit Russia in the spring and The Wall Street Journal wrote in February that such a trip could take place in April or early May.

China’s Foreign Ministry has not confirmed anything, nor has the Kremlin, whose spokesman Dmitry Peskov declined to comment on the matter on Monday. “As a rule, announcements of official visits abroad are coordinated synchronously with the mutual agreement of the parties,” he told reporters. “When there is such a provision, we will let you know.”

A meeting with Putin and a conversation with Zelenskiy, according to opinion The Wall Street Journal, suggest that China wants to play a more active role in mediating an end to the war in Ukraine. The paper believes that the invasion put Beijing in a difficult position, forcing Xi to balance between an “unlimited partnership” with Russia, as agreed in February 2022, his close relationship with Putin and a reluctance to exacerbate growing mistrust and tensions with the US and its allies. The Chinese leader is even considering the possibility of traveling from Moscow to other European countries.

In late February, on the first anniversary of the invasion, the Chinese Foreign Ministry announced a a plan to “solve the crisis” that did not cause any enthusiasm in the West, and not even in Russia, where they insist that any solution should never involve returning to Ukraine territories currently occupied by Kremlin troops. The Asian giant’s proposal includes, among other things, the cessation of hostilities, the start of negotiations and mutual respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of each side. But it was not explained how, given the irreconcilable positions that Moscow and Kiev have. In February, Putin hosted State Councilor and Politburo member of the Chinese Communist Party Wang Yi in the Kremlin amid Washington’s fears that the Asian regime would eventually supply the Kremlin with lethal weapons for use in Ukraine. “Of course, we are waiting for the President of the People’s Republic of China to visit Russia, we have already agreed,” said the Russian President, who rarely receives someone lower than himself, to Wang.

Russian-Chinese development

Last Friday, the Kremlin chief sent Xi a congratulatory message on his re-election for a third term and once again praised the “strength” of ties between the two countries. “Russia greatly appreciates your personal contribution to strengthening relations (…) between our countries. I am sure that by working together we will ensure the development of fruitful Russian-Chinese cooperation in various fields,” said Putin. “We will continue to coordinate joint work on the most important issues of the regional and international agenda,” he added. China, which was Russia’s biggest trading partner before the war, is against the application of sanctions against the Kremlin and he did not condemn the offensive in Ukraine, but he does not support it either, and he warned of the danger of the escalation of the war leading to the use of nuclear weapons. As for relations with Kiev, Zelensky recently assured that he intends to meet with Xi to discuss how to materialize the peace plan and ensure that he will not sell arms to Russia.