Russia’s Putin to meet with China President Xi as Ukraine war drags on
- Russian President Vladimir Putin mentioned Friday that he’ll quickly meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping as the Kremlin’s war in Ukraine drags on.
- White House officers have beforehand expressed deep considerations about China’s alignment with Russia and the chance that the world’s second-largest economic system could help Moscow.
- Putin and Xi’s upcoming assembly comes amid regular beneficial properties by Ukrainian forces on the battlefield.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping on the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, March 21, 2023.
Xinhua News Agency | Xinhua News Agency | Getty Images
WASHINGTON — Russian President Vladimir Putin mentioned Friday that he’ll quickly meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping as the Kremlin’s war in Ukraine drags on.
“Soon enough we will have some events and there will be a meeting with the Chinese President [Xi Jinping],” Putin mentioned throughout a convention with college students in Russia.
“He [Xi] calls me his friend, and I am happy to call him my friend, because this is a man who personally does a lot for the development of Russian-Chinese relations and cooperation in different areas,” Putin mentioned.
Since Russia’s invasion of its ex-Soviet neighbor, Washington and its allies have imposed rounds of coordinated sanctions vaulting Russia previous Iran and North Korea as the world’s most-sanctioned nation.
White House officers have beforehand expressed deep considerations about China’s alignment with Russia and the chance that the world’s second-largest economic system could help Moscow as the Kremlin’s war heads into its 600th day.
The final time the 2 leaders met was in March on the Kremlin. A month later, Xi spoke on the cellphone for the primary time since Russia’s full-scale invasion with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
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Putin and Xi’s upcoming assembly additionally comes amid regular beneficial properties by Ukrainian forces on the battlefield.
The White House mentioned Ukrainian forces have made “notable progress” in southern Zaporizhzhia within the final 72 hours.
“Now where they go from here and how they exploit that success, I’ll leave it to them to discuss, but we have seen some notable progress,” National Security Council spokesman John Kirby informed reporters on a convention name.
Kirby declined to present further particulars, citing operational safety dangers.