xi jinping will visit moscow

China's Xi Jinping to visit Moscow next week for talks with Putin

China declared 'no limits' partnership with russia last year, refuses to condemn invasion of ukraine.

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Chinese President Xi Jinping will travel to Russia next week to hold talks with President Vladimir Putin, the two countries said on Friday, as Beijing touts a plan to end the grinding Ukraine war that has received a lukewarm welcome on both sides.

Xi's visit from Monday to Wednesday comes after China last month published a 12-point plan for "a political resolution of the Ukraine crisis" — and after China's foreign minister, in a rare phone call with his Ukrainian counterpart on Thursday, urged negotiations with Moscow.

Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang told Dmytro Kuleba that Beijing is concerned about the year-old war with Russia spinning out of control and urged talks on a political solution, the foreign ministry in Beijing said in a statement posted on its website.

Qin said China has "always upheld an objective and fair stance on the Ukraine issue, has committed itself to promoting peace and advancing negotiations and calls on the international community to create conditions for peace talks," the statement said.

Kuleba later tweeted that he and Qin "discussed the significance of the principle of territorial integrity."

During my call with China's State Councilor and Foreign Minister Qin Gang today, we discussed the significance of the principle of territorial integrity. I underscored the importance of <a href="https://twitter.com/ZelenskyyUa?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ZelenskyyUa</a>’s Peace Formula for ending the aggression and restoring just peace in Ukraine. &mdash; @DmytroKuleba

"I underscored the importance of [Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's] Peace Formula for ending the aggression and restoring just peace in Ukraine," wrote Kuleba, who spoke the same day with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

China's plan calls for the protection of civilians and for Russia and Ukraine to respect each other's sovereignty.

However, the United States and NATO have said Beijing's efforts to mediate are not credible as it has refrained from condemning Russia's invasion of Ukraine, which Moscow calls a "special military operation."

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Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said Xi's visit to Russia — his first in nearly four years — was in part to promote "peace," although he made no explicit mention of the Ukraine war.

He said the leaders would also exchange opinions on major regional and international issues, strengthen bilateral trust and deepen economic partnerships.

Meeting to discuss 'topical issues'

The Kremlin said in a statement that Xi and Putin would discuss "topical issues of further development of comprehensive partnership relations and strategic co-operation between Russia and China." The statement also made no mention of Ukraine.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Putin and Xi would have a one-on-one meeting over an informal dinner Monday. Broader talks involving officials from both countries are scheduled for Tuesday. Peskov would not provide details about the discussions.

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Putin's foreign policy adviser, Yuri Ushakov, suggested the talks could yield new approaches to the fighting in Ukraine, where Russia has struggled to advance.

"I'm sure that our leader and the Chinese leader will exchange their assessments of the situation in the context of the development of the conflict in Ukraine," Ushakov said, adding: "We shall see what ideas will emerge after that."

Xi will hold a telephone call with Zelenskyy following his Russia visit, according to some media reports. Beijing has not confirmed the call.

What we know about Xi Jinping's visit to Moscow next week

China and Russia announced a "no-limits" partnership in February 2022 when Putin visited Beijing for the opening of the Winter Olympics, days before he sent tens of thousands of troops into Ukraine, triggering the biggest conflict seen in Europe since the Second World War.

Beijing and Moscow have since continued to reaffirm the strength of their ties. Bilateral trade has soared since the invasion and China is Russia's biggest buyer of oil, a key source of revenue for Moscow.

Tens of thousands of people have been killed and millions have fled their homes in Ukraine since the invasion and there is currently no sign of either side actively seeking an end to the conflict.

Ukraine open to 'parts of the plan'

Ukraine has taken issue with Beijing's proposals for not stating that Russia should withdraw behind borders in place since the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991, though it later said it was open to "parts of the plan."

Russia welcomed Beijing's initiative and said it would make a "nuanced study" of the plan but has also said it sees no sign for now of a peaceful resolution.

WATCH | Putin meets with China's top diplomat, attempts to strengthen ties : 

Putin meets with China’s top diplomat, attempts to strengthen ties

Moscow says Ukraine must accept its annexation of four regions in the east and south of the country along with the loss of Crimea, the Black Sea peninsula it forcibly annexed in 2014.

Russia says its actions in Ukraine are a defensive pushback against a hostile and aggressive West, while Kyiv and its Western allies say they represent an imperial-style land grab.

With files from The Associated Press

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Chinese leader Xi Jinping to visit Russia next week for talks with Putin

HONG KONG — Chinese President  Xi Jinping  will visit  Russia  early next week for talks with President Vladimir Putin , a trip that will showcase the countries’ growing closeness as tensions escalate with the United States and the war in Ukraine grinds into a second year.

Xi will pay a state visit to Moscow from Monday to Wednesday at Putin’s invitation, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said Friday. It is his first trip to Russia since the invasion , and comes as Beijing is trying to position itself as a mediator in the conflict despite skepticism from Washington and its allies.

The Kremlin also confirmed the visit, saying the talks would focus on the countries' “comprehensive partnership and strategic cooperation." A number of “important bilateral documents” would also be signed, it said in a statement.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry did not confirm reports that Xi’s Russia trip would be followed by a virtual meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy , with whom the Chinese leader hasn’t spoken since before the war began last February.

“We are in communication with all parties,” spokesperson Wang Wenbin said at a regular briefing in response to a question about the reports. 

Xi's Moscow visit comes as U.S. ties with both China and Russia have been steadily deteriorating.

On Thursday, the U.S. military  released newly declassified video it says shows a Russian fighter jet harassing and colliding with an American drone over the Black Sea, aggression that American officials told NBC News was approved by the Kremlin leadership.

Tensions with China have soared over Taiwan, questions over the origins of Covid, a U.S. submarine deal with Australia and Britain, White House demands that TikTok’s Chinese owners sell their stakes in the popular app, and the downing of a Chinese surveillance balloon that was detected over America.

The diplomatic chill was reflected in comments last week by Xi, who accused the U.S. of leading a campaign of “containment, encirclement and suppression” against China that had created “severe challenges” for the country.

Beijing has been seeking to rival Washington as a mediator on the global stage, a diplomatic push that was given a high-profile boost when it brokered the agreement for archrivals Iran and Saudi Arabia to normalize ties last week.

China, which declared a “no limits” partnership with Russia weeks before the invasion, has tried to portray itself as neutral in the conflict. It has refrained from condemning Russia’s aggression or even calling it an invasion, while calling for negotiations and being careful to avoid violating international sanctions.

A 12-point peace proposal Beijing released last month received a tepid response in both Ukraine and Russia, while it was quickly dismissed by the West as too favorable to Moscow.

Wang said Xi’s visit to Russia was “for peace.”

“We have always believed that political dialogue is the only way out of the conflict,” he said.

The U.S. has also been warning that China may be considering sending artillery and ammunition to Russia for use in the conflict, which would represent a significant shift in its approach. Beijing denies the allegations, with Wang saying Friday that China had always taken a “prudent and responsible attitude” toward military exports.

“China’s position and approach have been consistent, in sharp contrast to the double standards of some countries on arms sales and the practice of adding fuel to the fire in the Ukraine crisis,” he said, referring to the U.S. and other countries providing weapons to Ukraine.

In a rare call Thursday with his Ukrainian counterpart, China’s new foreign minister, Qin Gang , said Beijing was concerned that the conflict could escalate out of control and that it hoped for a political solution.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba, who also spoke with Secretary of State Antony Blinken earlier Thursday, said on Twitter that he and Qin had “discussed the significance of the principle of territorial integrity.” He said he also underscored the importance of Zelenskyy’s own peace plan.

Xi and Putin previously met in Uzbekistan last September on the sidelines of a regional summit. Putin invited Xi to make a state visit during a videoconference in December, and China’s top diplomat, Wang Yi, laid further groundwork for the trip when he was in Moscow last month.

Though the war in Ukraine has tested China-Russia relations, they seem to be returning to their prewar status, and Xi’s trip “is probably going to cement that,” said Ian Bremmer, president of Eurasia Group, a consulting firm based in New York.

“They’re going to display a lot of friendship,” he said. “I think it will be very clear that Putin, from China’s perspective, is very far from a pariah.”

CORRECTION  (March 17, 2023, 8:30 a.m. ET): A previous version of this article misspelled the first name of the Ukrainian president. He is Volodymyr Zelenskyy, not Volodomyr.

Jennifer Jett is the Asia Digital Editor for NBC News, based in Hong Kong.

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China leader Xi Jinping to visit Moscow in show of support for Vladimir Putin

The Associated Press

Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin pose for a photo on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, on Sept. 15, 2022. Alexandr Demyanchuk/AP hide caption

Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin pose for a photo on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, on Sept. 15, 2022.

BEIJING — Chinese President Xi Jinping will visit Russia from Monday to Wednesday, in an apparent show of support for Russian President Vladimir Putin amid sharpening East-West tensions over the conflict in Ukraine.

Russia's ongoing invasion of Ukraine is expected to dominate discussions. China has sought to project itself as neutral in the conflict even while in 2022 Beijing declared it had a "no-limits" friendship with Russia and has refused to condemn Moscow's invasion.

The meeting between the leaders was announced by both countries on Friday.

Russia-Ukraine recap

Latest in ukraine: expectations are growing for china's xi jinping to visit russia.

China has said the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries should be respected, while condemning Western sanctions and accusing NATO and the United States of provoking Russia into military action.

On Thursday, Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang told his Ukrainian counterpart Dmytro Kuleba that Beijing is concerned about the year-old conflict spinning out of control and urged talks on a political solution with Moscow.

China has "always upheld an objective and fair stance on the Ukraine issue, has committed itself to promoting peace and advancing negotiations and calls on the international community to create conditions for peace talks," Qin said.

Kuleba later tweeted that he and Qin "discussed the significance of the principle of territorial integrity."

"I underscored the importance of (Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's)'s Peace Formula for ending the aggression and restoring just peace in Ukraine," wrote Kuleba, who spoke the same day with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

Wang Wenbin, spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said in a daily briefing on Friday that Xi "will have an in-depth exchange of views with President Putin on bilateral relations and major international and regional issues of common concern, promote strategic cooperation and practical cooperation between the two countries, and inject new impetus into the development of bilateral relations."

Ukraine invasion — explained

Putin and china's top diplomat pledge to strengthen ties.

"Currently, the world is entering a new period of turbulences and reform with the accelerated evolution of changes of the century. As permanent members of the UN Security Council and important major countries, the significance and impact of the China-Russia relations go far beyond the bilateral sphere," he added.

The trip comes after the destruction of a U.S. drone over the Black Sea following an encounter with Russian fighter jets, which brought the two countries closest to direct conflict since Moscow's invasion of Ukraine a year ago.

The Kremlin on Friday also announced Xi's visit, saying it will take place "at the invitation of Vladimir Putin."

Xi and Putin will discuss "issues of further development of comprehensive partnership and strategic interaction between Russia and China," as well as exchange views "in the context of deepening Russian-Chinese cooperation in the international arena," the Kremlin said in a statement.

The two leaders will also sign "important bilateral documents," the statement read.

Putin invited Xi to visit Russia during a video conference call the two held in late December. The visit, Putin said, could "demonstrate to the whole world the strength of the Russian-Chinese ties" and "become the main political event of the year in bilateral relations."

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International Edition

Xi Jinping to visit Moscow for summit with Putin: Report

Top diplomat Wang Yi, who is currently in Moscow, has said ties between the two countries are ‘rock solid’.

Chinese leader Xi Jinping is preparing to visit Moscow for a summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin in the coming months, according to the Wall Street Journal.

Citing people familiar with the plan, the newspaper said on Tuesday that the Xi-Putin summit was part of a Chinese effort to play a more active role in bringing the year-old war to an end and part of a push for multi-party peace talks. China will also use the summit to reiterate calls that nuclear weapons should not be used, the report added.

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Preparations for the trip are at an early stage and the timing has not been finalised, the Journal said, adding that Xi’s visit might take place in April or in early May when Russia celebrates its World War Two victory over Nazi Germany.

China’s top diplomat Wang Yi is currently in Moscow and expected to meet Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Wednesday.

In a tour of Europe, Wang has stepped up calls for a negotiated settlement to end the war in Ukraine, which began on February 24 last year when Russian troops invaded the country.

Xi and Putin last met in person in China ahead of the Beijing Winter Olympics last year, days before Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24. The two men announced a “no limits” partnership where no areas of cooperation were “forbidden”. They had a video call last December.

Beijing has not condemned Russia’s actions or joined Western-led sanctions against Moscow but it has urged “restraint” and stressed disputes should be settled by “peaceful means”.

Meanwhile, its relations with the United States have deteriorated over issues such as human rights in Hong Kong and China’s far western region of Xinjiang, as well as the US discovery this month of what it has claimed was a Chinese “spy balloon” flying over its territory.

In Moscow on Tuesday, Wang again stressed the two countries’ close ties in a meeting with Nikolai Patrushev, the secretary of Russia’s powerful Security Council and a close confidant of Putin.

“Chinese-Russian relations are mature in character: they are rock solid and will withstand any test in a changing international situation,” Wang told Patrushev through a Russian interpreter in remarks aired on Russian state television.

Patrushev, meanwhile, told Wang that Beijing was a top priority in Russian foreign policy and that the two countries must stick together.

“In the context of a campaign that is being waged by the collective West to contain both Russia and China, the further deepening of Russian-Chinese cooperation and interaction in the international arena is of particular importance,” Patrushev was quoted as saying by state media outlet RIA.

Wang is expected to discuss Xi’s trip while he is in Moscow, the Wall Street Journal said.

The Kremlin has hinted Wang might also meet Putin.

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Xi Jinping to visit Moscow likely around anniversary of Ukraine invasion

This will mark xi jinping’s first visit to russia since the kremlin’s all-out invasion on ukraine, article bookmarked.

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Chinese president Xi Jinping is likely to visit Russia on invitation from Vladimir Putin around the one-year anniversary of Moscow ’s invasion of Ukraine , the Russian foreign ministry said on Monday.

“This year, Russia and China will join efforts to enhance and promote further bilateral relations between the two governments. As you know, Russian president Vladimir Putin has invited Chinese leader Xi Jinping on an official visit this spring,” the Russian foreign ministry said, according to a report by Russia’s state news agency TASS.

It added that the Kremlin will “proceed from the understanding that this will be the central event in the bilateral agenda for 2023”.

While Russia’s foreign affairs ministry has not cited a date for the anticipated visit by Moscow’s ally, the invasion of Ukraine launched by Mr Putin will mark a year on 24 February.

Officials in Beijing have not confirmed the Russian ministry’s remarks.

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This will mark Mr Xi’s first visit to Russia since the all-out war on Ukraine even as China has tried to maintain a delicate balance on publicly supporting Moscow’s invasion.

Mr Putin had called on his Asian ally to visit Russia in December. "We are expecting you, dear Mr Chairman, dear friend, we are expecting you next spring on a state visit to Moscow," he had told Xi in a long introductory statement broadcast on state television.

In response, China’s readout of the video summit between the two leaders said that there was a difference in approach to their developing alliance.

Beijing also dedicated any mention of a visit to the invading nation and said that the Xi Jinping administration would maintain its “objective and fair” stance.

In November, China had delivered scathing criticism over Russia’s move to invade Ukraine, including Mr Putin’s non-disclosure of his plans to invade. China had also condemned the "irresponsibility" of suggested nuclear threats ahead of the G20 summit in Indonesia.

According to a Chinese official, Mr Putin did not tell his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping “the truth”, reported the Financial Times .

The officials said that the two leaders had hailed a “no limits” alliance between Moscow and Beijing when they met just 20 days before the Kremlin launched its invasion on Ukraine in February.

“If he had told us, we wouldn’t have been in such an awkward position,” the official had revealed in November.

Mr Xi was caught off-guard by the invasion of Ukraine, which Russia still describes as a “special military operation”, according to four people briefed on the February meeting between the two leaders.

China resents the fact that this non-disclosure from Moscow threatened the safety of thousands of Chinese nationals who were in Ukraine at the time war broke out.

However, the foreign affairs ministry has underscored “the role of trusting ties”, in the latest statement, between Mr Xi and Mr Putin on deepening their “comprehensive bilateral partnership and strategic cooperation”.

"In the past decade, the heads of state have held forty meetings. These include bilateral visits, meetings on the sidelines of multilateral forums, and other events," the ministry said.

It added that the in-person exchanges will hopefully resume as China eases the anti-Covid curbs.

"We will work hard to push relations between Russia and China to a higher level for the sake of bilateral progress and for the benefit of our peoples," the ministry said, as it hailed Beijing’s contribution as a trade ally in the past financial year.

China is credited with being Russia’s largest trade partner for more than a decade as its staunch ally.

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The Asian nation, alongside India, accounts for Russia’s largest oil importer, along with being the second largest supplier of pipeline gas and fourth largest provider of liquefied natural gas.

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Xi Jinping says China ready to ‘stand guard over world order’ on Moscow visit

Chinese leader expected to position himself as peacemaker but US condemns Xi for providing ‘diplomatic cover’ for atrocities in Ukraine

• Russia-Ukraine war – latest news updates

Xi Jinping said China was ready with Russia “to stand guard over the world order based on international law” as he arrived for a state visit to Moscow that comes days after Vladimir Putin was made the subject of an arrest warrant by the international criminal court.

The Chinese leader is expected to position himself as a potential peacemaker in the Ukraine war during his two-day visit to Russia – his first state visit since Putin’s invasion. For his part, the Russian president will be hoping to project unity in the face of western isolation, as the US condemned Xi for providing “diplomatic cover” for Moscow to continue to commit further crimes in Ukraine.

A military brass band greeted Xi at Moscow’s Vnukovo airport, where he was welcomed by Russia’s deputy prime minister for tourism, sport, culture and communications, Dmitri Chernyshenko.

“I am very glad, at the invitation of President Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin, to come back to the land of our close neighbour on a state visit,” Xi said upon arrival, according to Russia’s state-run Tass news agency. “I am confident the visit will be fruitful and give new momentum to the healthy and stable development of Chinese-Russian relations.”

Xi added that with Russia, China was “ready to resolutely defend the UN-centric international system, stand guard over the world order based on international law”.

The two leaders spoke briefly to the press on Monday at the Kremlin before an “informal meeting”.

“We have thoroughly studied your proposals on regulating the acute crisis in Ukraine. Of course, we will have an opportunity to discuss them,” Putin told Xi, referring to China’s peace plan for dealing with the war in Ukraine. “We are always open to negotiations,” the Russian leader added.

Xi in turn praised Putin’s “strong leadership” and said he was sure the Russian people would support him in the presidential elections next year.

The Russian leader has not yet formally announced he is running for president and the Kremlin on Monday was quick to deny Xi had inside knowledge about Putin’s plans.

The state-run Ria news agency said Monday’s informal talks lasted for four and a half hours. The talks were accompanied by a six-course meal that included blini with quail and mushrooms, fish and pomegranate sorbet, according to a menu published by a state media journalist. Putin then walked with Xi to his car and said goodbye.

Formal talks were scheduled for Tuesday, the Kremlin said.

Xi’s visit comes three days after Putin was made the subject of an arrest warrant by the international criminal court for overseeing the abduction of Ukrainian children, sending Russia another significant step on the path to becoming a pariah state, and two days after he made a surprise visit to the occupied city of Mariupol in an apparent show of defiance towards the court and the west in general.

Washington said on Monday that Xi’s visit to Moscow soon after the ICC’s court order amounted to Beijing providing “diplomatic cover for Russia to continue to commit” war crimes.

“That President Xi is travelling to Russia days after the international criminal court issued an arrest warrant for President Putin suggests that China feels no responsibility to hold the Kremlin accountable for the atrocities committed in Ukraine,” the US secretary of state, Antony Blinken, told journalists.

“The world should not be fooled by any tactical move by Russia, supported by China or any other country, to freeze the war on its own terms,” he said.

Blinken said the United States welcomed any diplomacy for a “just and durable peace” but raised doubts that China was safeguarding the “sovereignty and territorial integrity” of Ukraine.

“Any plan that does not prioritize this critical principle is a stalling tactic at best or is merely seeking to facilitate an unjust outcome. That is not constructive diplomacy,” Blinken said.

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In a further symbolic gesture of defiance, Russia’s investigative committee said on Monday that it had opened a criminal case against the ICC prosecutor and judges who issued the warrant.

During a media briefing on Monday, the Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin called on the ICC to avoid “politicisation and double standards”.

Russia is framing Xi’s trip, his first since securing an unprecedented third term this month, as proof that it has not been isolated by the global community as the war in Ukraine, now in its 13th month, drags on.

“We are grateful for the balanced line of [China] in connection with the events taking place in Ukraine, for understanding their background and true causes. We welcome China’s willingness to play a constructive role in resolving the crisis,” Putin said in an article in China’s People’s Daily published on the Kremlin website on Sunday evening, adding that he had high hopes for the visit from his “good old friend”.

For Xi, the trip comes as he pushes his country to play a more dominant role in managing global affairs. China last month proposed a 12-point peace plan for dealing with the war, though it did not address critical details such as whether Russian troops should withdraw.

In an article in Rossiiskaya Gazeta, a daily published by the Russian government, Xi called for “pragmatism” on Ukraine. He said China’s peace proposal, largely dismissed by the west, represented “as much as possible the unity of the world community’s views”.

The Kremlin spokesperson, Dmitry Peskov, told reporters on Monday morning that the leaders would discuss the peace plan “one way or another”.

“The topics that figured in this plan will inevitably be touched upon during the exchange of views on Ukraine” between Putin and Xi, Peskov said. “Exhaustive clarifications will be given by President Putin, so that President Xi can get a first-hand view of the current moment from the Russian side,” he added.

Kyiv reiterated its official position that any talks would be contingent on the complete restoration of Ukraine’s territory. “The formula for the successful implementation of China’s ‘Peace Plan’. The first and main point is the capitulation or withdrawal of the Russian occupation troops,” Oleksiy Danilov, the secretary of Ukraine’s national security and defence council, tweeted on Monday.

Xi is reported to be planning a call with the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, after his trip to Moscow.

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China’s leader to visit Moscow with US-Russia relations at new low

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This is AI generated summarization, which may have errors. For context, always refer to the full article.

3RD TERM. Chinese President Xi Jinping takes his oath during the Third Plenary Session of the National People's Congress at the Great Hall of the People, in Beijing, China, on March 10, 2023.

Mark R. Cristino/Pool/Reuters

Chinese President Xi Jinping will visit Russia next week, officials from both countries said on Friday, March 17, weighing into the Ukraine conflict just as relations between Moscow and Washington hit a new low.

Xi’s visit to Moscow is a diplomatic coup for Russian President Vladimir Putin, whose country has been placed under unprecedented international sanctions since he sent tens of thousands of troops into Ukraine on February 24, 2022.

Beijing and Moscow struck a “no limits” partnership shortly before the invasion and US and European leaders have said they are concerned Beijing may send arms to Russia.

China has denied any such plan, criticizing Western weapon supplies to Ukraine, which will soon extend to fighter jets after Poland and Slovakia this week approved deliveries. The Kremlin said the jets would simply be destroyed.

China’s foreign ministry said Xi’s visit aimed to deepen trust while the Kremlin said it would strengthen strategic cooperation. “Important” bilateral documents would be signed, the Kremlin said, without elaborating.

China is Russia’s most important ally and has been buying Russian oil and other goods shunned by Western countries. It is also a big buyer of Ukrainian grain.

Grain shipments

An international agreement to allow the safe export of grain from several Ukrainian ports on the Black Sea expires on Saturday, March 18. Russia has agreed to extend the deal for 60 days while Ukraine, along with the United Nations and Turkey which brokered the original deal, have called for a 120-day rollover.

Russia has not specifically said why it is insisting on the shorter period, although it has complained that its own food and fertilizer exports are being hindered by Western sanctions.

The United Nations Office in Geneva said on Friday that discussions were ongoing on the renewal of the deal, which aims to prevent a global food crisis.

“We are not going to speculate on what’s going to happen tomorrow,” Alessandra Vellucci, director of the United Nations Information Service in Geneva, told a briefing.

China, which has not condemned Russia for invading Ukraine, expressed concern about the war intensifying after a US surveillance drone intercepted by Russian jets crashed into the Black Sea three days ago, in the first known direct US-Russia confrontation.

Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu presented awards to the pilots of the jets on Friday, Russian state-owned news agency RIA reported, a pointed retort to White House comments that the incident was reckless and perhaps showed incompetence.

Beijing has called for peace talks between Moscow and Kyiv, but Russia says Ukraine must accept the loss of four regions along with Crimea, which it forcibly annexed in 2014.

Ukraine says Russian troops must withdraw beyond its 1991 borders – the year the Soviet Union dissolved – and also that Moscow would use any truce to rebuild its forces for a further assault.

Some media reports said Xi would hold a telephone call with Ukrainian President Volodymr Zelenskiy after his Russia visit.

Beijing has not confirmed the call. A spokesperson for Zelenskiy told Ukrainian media there was still no concrete agreement on whether the president would talk with Xi.

Bakhmut fighting

Ukrainian forces were continuing on Friday to withstand Russian assaults on the ruined city of Bakhmut, the focal point for eight months of Russian attempts to advance through the industrial Donetsk region in eastern Ukraine bordering Russia.

Reuters reporters roughly 1.5 km (1 mile) from the front lines could hear the constant boom of artillery and the crackle of small arms fire on Thursday, March 16.

Ihor, a 36-year-old soldier at the mortar position, said Ukrainian forces had been targeted by air strikes, mortar fire and tank shelling.

“You don’t always check on what’s flying over your head,” he added, crouching in a deep trench.

Bakhmut has become Europe’s bloodiest infantry battle since World War Two. Russian forces led by the Wagner private army have captured the city’s eastern part but have so far failed to encircle it.

British intelligence said on Friday some Russian combatants had crossed the river that bisects the town but that Ukrainian armed forces were still defending the western part.

Russian forces also conducted four air strikes on the frontline town of Avdiivka south of Bakhmut on Friday, the head of Ukraine’s presidential office, Andriy Yermak, wrote on Telegram, posting a picture of a ruined apartment block.

“The city is being shelled almost around the clock,” he wrote, adding that there had been no casualties on Friday.

The British report said that in general, Russia’s offensive had slowed but would likely pick up once reinforcements arrived.

It was not possible to verify the reports.

Russia denies targeting civilians but says it has hit infrastructure to degrade Ukraine’s military and remove what it says is a potential threat to its own security.

Ukraine and its allies accuse Moscow of an unprovoked war to grab territory from its pro-Western neighbor. – Rappler.com

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Germany's Scholz lobbies Xi to improve market access, pressure Russia

• Medium Text
• Scholz meets Xi on final day of three-day tour of China
• Pushes for better access to China's market for German firms
• Urges China to pressure Russia to end Ukraine invasion
• Carmaker CEOs with Scholz see more opportunities than risks

NO ALTERNATIVE TO CHINESE MARKET

PRESSURE ON RUSSIA?

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Reporting by Andreas Rinke and the Beijing Bureau; Additional Reporting by Matthias Williams in Berlin; Writing by Ryan Woo and Sarah Marsh; editing by Miral Fahmy, Clarence Fernandez, Alex Richardson and Mark Heinrich

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Taiwan says it will discuss with US how to use new funding

Taiwan's defence ministry said on Sunday it will discuss with the United States how to use funding for the island included in a $95 billion legislative package mostly providing security assistance to Ukraine and Israel.

Xi Jinping is hyping China as Ukraine's peacemaker — while actually helping Russia's invasion

• China's Xi Jinping met Germany's Olaf Scholz Tuesday. 
• Xi said he wanted to try to bring peace to Ukraine. 
• But analysts say China is secretly intensifying support for Russia. 

China's leader, Xi Jinping, played the role of Ukraine's peacemaker during talks on Tuesday with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz .

At the meeting in Beijing, Xi presented his German counterpart with four principles for peace in Ukraine , according to Chinese state media.

Xi said nations must focus on "the upholding of peace and stability and refrain from seeking selfish gains," as well as "cool down the situation and not add fuel to the fire."

He added that they must establish conditions for restoring peace while reducing the war's impact on the world's economy.

The principles are vague and similar to a Ukraine peace plan proposed by China last year. At the time, the US said the plan worked mostly in Russia's favor .

But despite these public statements, analysts say that Xi's claims to be a peacemaker are a charade and that in reality, China is increasing support for Russia's military .

Last month, London's Royal United Services Institute warned that Russia was increasing its cooperation with China in 5G and satellite technology.

Related stories

And in recent weeks, US intelligence has said China is increasing its equipment sales to Russia , as well as providing important technologies such as microelectronics, optics, machine tools, and missile propellants.

This is in addition to the diplomatic and economic support China has already given the Kremlin.

The Institute for the Study of War , a US think tank, said on Tuesday that Xi was seeking to garner goodwill in Germany, a key trading partner for China but an ally of Ukraine.

"Xi's generally vague signaling to Scholz vis a vis Ukraine over the backdrop of reportedly intensifying Chinese support for Russia is therefore more likely an attempt to maintain China's access to European markets by garnering goodwill with Germany than to show actual interest in facilitating an end to Russia's invasion of Ukraine," its analysts said.

Scholz is the latest Western leader to try to persuade Xi to use his influence with Russian President Vladimir Putin to end the Ukraine invasion.

But China showed no signs of changing its position, reiterating claims that the West was to blame for the war by arming Ukraine, the Associated Press reported.

China has been balancing conflicting priorities in Ukraine , as analysts previously told Business Insider. While Xi sees a Russian victory in the war as a way of damaging the global power of Ukraine's main backers, he's also keen to retain access to Western markets and US investment.

In recent years, the Chinese economy has experienced a serious downturn caused by a property-market bubble, and Xi has abruptly changed his tone with many Western leaders, offering a series of concessions to US President Joe Biden at a meeting last year in San Francisco.

So far, that shift in tone hasn't resulted in a substantive change in his position on Putin's war in Ukraine despite the best efforts of Western leaders to get him to intervene.

Watch: China's Xi Jinping praises Vladimir Putin during visit to Russia

• Main content

The German chancellor presses China on Russia's invasion of Ukraine

BEIJING — German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said he asked Chinese leader Xi Jinping on Tuesday to pressure Russia to end its “insane campaign” in Ukraine, the latest in a parade of European leaders and senior officials to make such an appeal.

The Chinese side gave no sign of any change in its position, which has been to blame Europe and the U.S. for prolonging the fighting by supplying Ukraine with weapons and calling for peace negotiations that recognize Russian as well as Ukrainian concerns.

“China is not a party to the Ukraine crisis but has consistently promoted talks for peace in its own way,” read a Chinese statement following talks between Xi and Scholz in the Chinese capital.

Scholz, winding up a three-day visit to China, told journalists that he believes “a building block has been put in place” that will contribute to discussions on diplomatic efforts to end the war .

Earlier, he said in a post on the social media platform X that he had asked Xi to use his influence with Russia.

“China’s word carries weight in Russia. So I asked President Xi to bear upon Russia so that Putin finally breaks off his insane campaign, withdraws his troops and ends this terrible war,” he wrote.

China has broken with the West in refusing to criticize Russia’s invasion. While the government says it is not sending military aid to Moscow, it has provided an economic lifeline by growing trade with Russia, helping it cope with Western sanctions. A U.S. intelligence report last week found Beijing has increased equipment sales to Moscow to indirectly boost its war effort against Ukraine.

Scholz said the talks had addressed China’s exports of so-called dual-use goods, which can have both civilian and military purposes.

“There is an absolute insistence that there be no weapons exports, but the question of dual-use also must not be ignored,” he said. “And it was possible to bring up everything that is necessary here in a way that it can’t be misunderstood.”

Scholz also said the use of nuclear weapons should not even be threatened, according to a German government transcript of his remarks at the start of the meeting with Xi.

Russian President Vladimir Putin warned last month that his government is ready to use nuclear weapons if its sovereignty or independence is threatened, his latest such threat since invading Ukraine.

A Chinese statement said the two leaders noted that China and Germany stand committed to the U.N. Charter and oppose the use of nuclear weapons.

“China encourages and supports all efforts that are conducive to the peaceful resolution of the crisis, and supports the holding in due course of an international peace conference that is recognized by both Russia and Ukraine and ensures the equal participation of all parties and fair discussions on all peace plans,” the Chinese statement said.

On trade, Xi told Scholz that their two countries should stay vigilant against the rise of protectionism and take an objective view of the issue of manufacturing capacity, according to the statement.

The German leader’s visit has underscored trade-related tensions as the European Union and the United States complain that China is competing unfairly through the use of subsidies that have created massive production capacity, particularly for solar panels, electric cars and other green-energy products.

The EU is mulling tariffs to protect its producers against cheaper Chinese electrical vehicle imports , which some fear will flood the European market.

Scholz, meeting separately with Chinese Premier Li Qiang, called for concrete improvements in several areas for German companies operating in China, including market access, fair competition, intellectual property protection and the legal system.

“In order for these companies to be able to continue doing so, they need the right conditions,” he said.

Despite the political and trade frictions, China was Germany’s top trading partner for the eighth straight year in 2023, with 254.1 billion euros ($271 billion) in goods and services exchanged between the sides, slightly more than what Germany traded with the U.S. but a 15.5% contraction from the year before.

This is Scholz’s second trip to China since he became chancellor in late 2021. It is his first visit since the German government last year presented its China strategy, which met with criticism from Beijing . Li, the Chinese premier, visited Berlin in June.

Associated Press writers Geir Moulson in Berlin and Christopher Bodeen in Taipei, Taiwan, contributed to this report.

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The German chancellor presses China on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine

In this photo released by Xinhua News Agency, Chinese President Xi Jinping, second from left, and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, second from right, walk together in Beijing, China, on Tuesday, April 16, 2024. (Ding Haitao/Xinhua via AP)

In this photo released by Xinhua News Agency, Chinese President Xi Jinping, right and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz pose for a photo at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing, China, on Tuesday, April 16, 2024. (Xie Huanchi/Xinhua via AP)

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz speaks during a press conference in Beijing, China, Tuesday, April 16, 2024. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz is on a 3 day visit to China. (Andres Martinez Casares, Pool Photo via AP)

In this photo released by Xinhua News Agency, Chinese President Xi Jinping, right and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz pose for a photo in Beijing, China, on Tuesday, April 16, 2024. (Xie Huanchi/Xinhua via AP)

• Copy Link copied

BEIJING (AP) — German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said he asked Chinese leader Xi Jinping on Tuesday to pressure Russia to end its “insane campaign” in Ukraine, the latest in a parade of European leaders and senior officials to make such an appeal.

The Chinese side gave no sign of any change in its position, which has been to blame Europe and the U.S. for prolonging the fighting by supplying Ukraine with weapons and calling for peace negotiations that recognize Russian as well as Ukrainian concerns.

“China is not a party to the Ukraine crisis but has consistently promoted talks for peace in its own way,” read a Chinese statement following talks between Xi and Scholz in the Chinese capital.

Scholz, winding up a three-day visit to China, told journalists that he believes “a building block has been put in place” that will contribute to discussions on diplomatic efforts to end the war .

Earlier, he said in a post on the social media platform X that he had asked Xi to use his influence with Russia.

“China’s word carries weight in Russia. So I asked President Xi to bear upon Russia so that Putin finally breaks off his insane campaign, withdraws his troops and ends this terrible war,” he wrote.

China has broken with the West in refusing to criticize Russia’s invasion. While the government says it is not sending military aid to Moscow, it has provided an economic lifeline by growing trade with Russia, helping it cope with Western sanctions. A U.S. intelligence report last week found Beijing has increased equipment sales to Moscow to indirectly boost its war effort against Ukraine.

Scholz said the talks had addressed China’s exports of so-called dual-use goods, which can have both civilian and military purposes.

“There is an absolute insistence that there be no weapons exports, but the question of dual-use also must not be ignored,” he said. “And it was possible to bring up everything that is necessary here in a way that it can’t be misunderstood.”

Scholz also said the use of nuclear weapons should not even be threatened, according to a German government transcript of his remarks at the start of the meeting with Xi.

Russian President Vladimir Putin warned last month that his government is ready to use nuclear weapons if its sovereignty or independence is threatened, his latest such threat since invading Ukraine.

A Chinese statement said the two leaders noted that China and Germany stand committed to the U.N. Charter and oppose the use of nuclear weapons.

“China encourages and supports all efforts that are conducive to the peaceful resolution of the crisis, and supports the holding in due course of an international peace conference that is recognized by both Russia and Ukraine and ensures the equal participation of all parties and fair discussions on all peace plans,” the Chinese statement said.

On trade, Xi told Scholz that their two countries should stay vigilant against the rise of protectionism and take an objective view of the issue of manufacturing capacity, according to the statement.

The German leader’s visit has underscored trade-related tensions as the European Union and the United States complain that China is competing unfairly through the use of subsidies that have created massive production capacity, particularly for solar panels, electric cars and other green-energy products.

The EU is mulling tariffs to protect its producers against cheaper Chinese electrical vehicle imports , which some fear will flood the European market.

Scholz, meeting separately with Chinese Premier Li Qiang, called for concrete improvements in several areas for German companies operating in China, including market access, fair competition, intellectual property protection and the legal system.

“In order for these companies to be able to continue doing so, they need the right conditions,” he said.

Despite the political and trade frictions, China was Germany’s top trading partner for the eighth straight year in 2023, with 254.1 billion euros ($271 billion) in goods and services exchanged between the sides, slightly more than what Germany traded with the U.S. but a 15.5% contraction from the year before.

This is Scholz’s second trip to China since he became chancellor in late 2021. It is his first visit since the German government last year presented its China strategy, which met with criticism from Beijing . Li, the Chinese premier, visited Berlin in June.

Associated Press writers Geir Moulson in Berlin and Christopher Bodeen in Taipei, Taiwan, contributed to this report.