Chinese President, Xi Jinping began a second round of talks with Putin in the afternoon on Tuesday, March 21, 2023, and took part in a ceremony in which both men signed agreements to deepen their partnerships.
After talks with Xi, Russian President Vladimir Putin disclosed that the Chinese peace plan could provide a basis for a settlement of the fighting in Ukraine when the West is ready for it, but he added that Kyiv’s Western allies have shown no interest in that.
“It looks like the West indeed intends to fight Russia until the last Ukrainian,” Putin said, pointing out a British plan to provide Ukraine with tank rounds containing depleted uranium.
“If that happens, Russia will respond accordingly, given that the collective West is starting to use weapons with a nuclear component.”
Vladimir Putin
The Russian President did not elaborate how Russia would respond. Putin has occasionally warned that Russia would use all available means, including possibly nuclear weapons, to defend itself, but also has sometimes backed off such threats.
Beijing, however, insists that it is a neutral broker in Ukraine peace efforts, and Xi repeated after his talks with Putin that China favors “peace and dialogue” to resolve disputes.
“We adhere to a principled and objective position on the Ukrainian crisis based on the goals and principles of the U.N. Charter.”
Xi Jinping
Xi added that the Chinese plan seeks to “actively encourage peace and the resumption of talks.”
Putin disclosed that the joint declarations issued by Russia and China “fully reflect a special character of the Russia-China relations, which are at their highest level in history and serve as an example of a true comprehensive partnership and strategic cooperation.”
Also, speaking on Tuesday at talks involving top officials from both countries, Putin said that he wants to expand bilateral economic ties, noting Russian-Chinese trade rose by 30% last year to $185 billion and is expected to top $200 billion this year.
Russia stands “ready to meet the Chinese economy’s growing demand for energy resources” by boosting deliveries of oil and gas, he said, while offering a long list of other areas of economic and cultural cooperation, including aircraft and shipbuilding industries and other high-tech sectors.
Xi said that he aimed to “strengthen coordination and interaction” with Russia, adding that it would help “the prosperity and revival of China and Russia.”
Kishida Visits Church In Bucha
Meanwhile, Prime Minister of Japan, Fumio Kishida is in Kyiv for a visit. Kishida visited a church in Bucha, a town outside Kyiv that became a symbol of Russian atrocities against civilians, and laid flowers at a church there for the victims.
“Upon this visit to Bucha, I feel a strong resentment against cruelty. I would like to represent the people in Japan and express my deepest condolences to those who lost their loved ones, were injured as a result of this cruel act.”
Fumio Kishida
In the Ukrainian capital, Kishida promised unwavering support to Ukraine’s President with talk of reconstruction and humanitarian aid.
U.S. Ambassador to Japan, Rahm Emanuel tweeted about the “two very different European-Pacific partnerships” that unfolded on Tuesday.
“Kishida stands with freedom, and Xi stands with a war criminal,” Emanuel said, referring to last week’s decision by the International Criminal Court to issue an arrest warrant for Putin, saying it wanted to put him on trial for the abductions of thousands of children from Ukraine.
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