First meeting between Russian President PUTIN and Chinese President XI Jinping since the Ukraine War Photos and video

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FILE PHOTO: Russian President Vladimir Putin attends a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing, China February 4, 2022. Sputnik/Aleksey Druzhinin/Kremlin via REUTERS

On Monday, March 20, Chinese President Xi Jinping met Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow as both leaders work to strengthen economic and military ties.

It is Xi’s first visit to Moscow since the invasion of Ukraine a year ago. He is also the first leader to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin since the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued an arrest warrant for him last Friday over the deportation of Ukrainian children to Russia during Russia’s year-long invasion of Ukraine.

The arrest warrant was one of several “clearly hostile displays,” according to Moscow, which has now opened a criminal case against the ICC prosecutor and judges.

Meanwhile, Beijing claimed that the warrant reflected double standards.

When the two leaders met in the Kremlin on Monday afternoon before a dinner, they addressed each other as “dear friend,” ahead of formal talks on Tuesday.

While everyone is focused on Trump’s impending arrest, President Xi recently called Putin a “dear friend.”

Putin told Xi that he respected China’s proposals for resolving the Ukraine conflict and was “slightly envious” of China’s rapid development over the last decade.

“China has developed a highly effective system for economic development and state strengthening. It’s far more effective than in many other countries,” he claims.

Xi’s visit comes after China issued a broad 12-point proposal to resolve the Ukraine crisis while also strengthening ties with Russia.

During the visit, Ukraine stated that China should put pressure on Russia to end its invasion.

“We expect Beijing to use its influence on Moscow to force it to end the aggressive war against Ukraine,” said Oleg Nikolenko, a spokesperson for Ukraine’s foreign ministry.

Xi stated that China’s Ukraine peace proposal, a vague document released last month, reflects global perspectives.

Putin and Xi signed a “no limits” partnership last year, just before sending hundreds of thousands of troops into Ukraine to end what he saw as a threat to Russia from its neighbor’s moves toward the West. Tens of thousands of people have been killed, cities have been destroyed, and millions have been forced to flee.

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