Xi Jinping kicks off day of diplomatic activity

Russia: Vladimir Putin shakes hands with Xi Jinping

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Xi Jinping has kicked off a day of talks with Russian officials by meeting Prime Minister Dmitri Medvedev and setting out proposals apparently aimed at brokering a ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine. Pictures showed the Chinese President outside a Russian government building, and others showed him, accompanied by other Chinese officials, sitting opposite Medvedev and Russian negotiators.

Details are still emerging about Xi’s plan – but given the closeness of the alliance between Beijing and Moscow, the West has already rejected suggestions that he could broker any kind of meaningful truce.

Speaking yesterday, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said: “Calling for a cease-fire that does not include the removal of Russian forces from Ukrainian territory would effectively be supporting the ratification of Russian conquest.

“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.”

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky carefully refused to dismiss China in such terms, but has made clear compromise is not an option.

Speaking yesterday, he said: “I think the fact that China started talking about Ukraine is not bad.

“But the question is what follows the words. I think some of the Chinese proposals respect international law, and I think we can work on it with China.

“Why not? Our goal is to gather many around us to isolate Russia.”

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