China’s leader visits the Kremlin in a boost for Putin

MOSCOW — Russian President Vladimir Putin welcomed Chinese leader Xi Jinping to the Kremlin on Monday in a visit that sends a strong message to Western leaders allied with Ukraine that their efforts to isolate Moscow have fallen short.

Xi’s visit — his first abroad since he secured a third term earlier this month — shows off Beijing’s new diplomatic swagger and offers a welcome political lift for Putin just days after an international arrest warrant was issued for him on war crimes charges related to the invasion of Ukraine.

The two major powers have described Xi’s trip as part of efforts to deepen their “no-limits friendship.” China looks to Russia as a source of oil and gas for its energy-hungry economy and as a partner in opposing what both see as U.S. domination of global affairs. The two countries, which are among the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council, also have held joint military drills.

Xi and Putin shook hands before sitting down and making brief statements at the start of their meeting, calling each other “dear friend” and exchanging compliments. Putin congratulated Xi on his third term and voiced hope for building even stronger ties.

Putin welcomed China’s proposals for a political settlement in Ukraine and said Russia was open for talks.

“We will discuss all those issues, including your initiative that we highly respect,” he said. “Our cooperation in the international arena undoubtedly helps strengthen the basic principles of the global order and multipolarity.”

Moscow and Beijing have a common cause: This month, Xi accused Washington of trying to isolate his country and hold back its development as it tries to strengthen its leadership role.

In an increasingly multipolar world, the U.S. and its allies have been unable to build a broad front against Putin. Last month, on the first anniversary of the invasion of Ukraine, 141 countries voted to condemn Russia at the United Nations, but several members of the Group of 20 — including India, China and South Africa — chose to abstain. Many African nations haven’t openly criticized Russia over its invasion either.

For Putin, Xi’s presence at the Kremlin is a prestige visit and a diplomatic triumph, allowing him to tell Western leaders allied with Ukraine that their efforts to isolate him have fallen short.

In an article published in the People’s Daily, the newspaper of the Chinese Communist Party’s Central Committee, Putin described Xi’s visit as a “landmark event” that “reaffirms the special nature of the RussiaChina partnership.”

Putin also said the meeting sent a message to Washington that the two countries weren’t prepared to accept attempts to weaken them.

“The U.S. policy of simultaneously deterring Russia and China, as well as all those who do not bend to the American diktat, is getting ever fiercer and more aggressive,” Putin wrote.

Xi’s trip comes after the International Criminal Court in The Hague announced Friday that it wants to put Putin on trial for the abductions of thousands of children from Ukraine.

China portrays Xi’s visit as part of normal diplomatic exchanges and has offered little detail about what the trip aims to accomplish, though the nearly 13 months of war in Ukraine cast a long shadow on the talks.

At a daily briefing in Beijing on Monday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said Xi’s trip was a “journey of friendship, cooperation and peace.”

Of the war, Wang said: “China will uphold its objective and fair position on the Ukrainian crisis and play a constructive role in promoting peace talks.”

Beijing’s leap into Ukraine issues follows its recent success in brokering talks between Iran and its chief Middle Eastern rival, Saudi Arabia, which agreed to restore diplomatic ties after years of tensions.

Following that success, Xi called for China to play a bigger role in managing global affairs.

Although they boast of a “no-limits” partnership, Beijing has conducted a China-first policy. It has shied from supplying Russia’s war machine — a move that could worsen relations with Washington and turn important European trade partners against Beijing. On the other hand, it has refused to condemn Moscow’s aggression and has censured Western sanctions on Moscow, while accusing the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and the U.S. of provoking Putin’s military action.

China last month called for a cease-fire and peace talks between Kyiv and Moscow. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky cautiously welcomed Beijing’s involvement, but the overture fizzled. The Kremlin has welcomed China’s peace plan and said Putin and Xi would discuss it.

Washington strongly rejected Beijing’s call for a cease-fire, calling it, in effect, a ratification of the Kremlin’s battlefield gains. Ukrainian officials say they won’t bend in their terms for a peace accord.

“The first and main point is the capitulation or withdrawal of the Russian occupation troops from the territory of Ukraine in accordance with the norms of international law and the UN Charter,” Oleksiy Danilov, National Security and Defense Council secretary, tweeted Monday.