Xi, Putin agree to promote peace in Ukraine; U.S. demands constructive role from Beijing

'반미연대'로 뭉친 시진핑•푸틴 미, 연일 중국 비판

In Moscow
Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin meet and strengthen their ties, --apparently against the West.
In the meantime, the U.S. and NATO demand Beijing play a "constructive role" to help end the war in Ukraine.
Choi Min-jung has more.

Russia and China said in a joint declaration on Tuesday that their bilateral relationship has reached its highest level ever.
Russian President Vladimir Putin met with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping at the Kremlin where the two leaders called for the need to settle the Ukraine crisis through a peace settlement.

Putin praised China's plan – which calls for a ceasefire and talks, with no mention of withdrawing Russian troops from Ukraine - and claimed that it can be taken as the "basis for a peaceful settlement when the West and Kyiv are ready".
Xi, meanwhile, barely mentioned Ukraine, instead said China had an "impartial position."
However, the White House questioned that claim and urged China to pressure Russia to withdraw its troops.

"So now, if China wants to play a constructive role here in this conflict, then they ought to press Russia to pull its troops out of Ukraine and Ukrainian sovereign territory. They should urge President Putin to cease bombing cities, hospitals, and schools, to stop the war crimes and the atrocities and end the war today."

Meanwhile, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg on Tuesday warned China against providing arms support to Russia.

"First, we haven't seen any proof that China is delivering lethal weapons to Russia, but we have seen some signs that this has been a request from Russia and that this is an issue that is considered in Beijing."

One expert says the war in Ukraine is pulling Russia and China together because they are forming a united front against their common enemy -the United States.

"But that said, I really don't think China wants escalation in the Ukrainian war because what China still wants is peaceful environment so that they can concentrate more on economic development which is their priority particularly when Xi Jinping was able to secure his third term as the president of China."

He added that Beijing is unlikely to support Moscow if it escalates the war by using nuclear weapons, as it will only destabilize China's efforts to revive its economy.
Choi Min-jung, Arirang News.

#VladimirPutin #XiJinping #미국 #반미연대 #Arirang_News

2023-03-22, 21:00 (KST)