Vladimir Putin, the Russian President lauded China’s effort to play a “constructive role” in ending the battle in Ukraine, saying Sino-Russian ties were “at the highest point”.
Putin’s Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping visited on Monday hoping to deliver a breakthrough on Ukraine as China desires to position itself as a peacemaker. In an article, written for a Chinese newspaper, Putin said The quality of ties between Russia and China is higher than the political and military unions of the Cold War era, the article was published by the Kremlin on the eve of Xi’s visit.
Putin added that he had “high expectations” of his conversations with the Chinese leader. He added that we do not doubt that they will give a new powerful impetus to the whole bilateral cooperation.
While hailing China’s willingness to play a constructive role in resolving” the year-long conflict in Ukraine, he said that he was appreciative of China for its “balanced” view on circumstances in Ukraine and its understanding of the conflict’s backstory and the “real reasons” behind it.
In an article, Putin assured that Russia is available to a settlement of the Ukrainian situation by political-diplomatic means. However, he urged on Ukraine’s recognition of “new geopolitical realities”, namely Russia’s annexation last year of four Ukrainian regions, as well as Crimea back in 2014. Russia’s leader said that unfortunately, ultimatums to Russia indicate that their authors are far from these facts and have no interest in seeking a solution.
Announcing the trip, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said China would “play a constructive role in encouraging peace talks”.
Chinese’s Xi is causing a greater role for China on the global stage and was important in negotiating a surprise rapprochement between Middle Eastern rivals Iran and Saudi Arabia this month.
