Putin seen in Mariupol for first visit to occupied territory since Russian invasion
Chinese leader Xi Jinping is set to meet Vladimir Putin in Moscow today, in a boost for the isolated Russian president just days after the International Criminal Court (ICC) charged him with war crimes in Ukraine.
The ICC accused Mr Putin of illegally deporting hundreds of children from Ukraine, a charge Russia has rejected. Russia is not an ICC member and says the charges have no legal weight.
Russia will expect to use Mr Xi’s visit as a show of solidarity against Western hegemony, while Mr Xi will present China as a global peacemaker intent on brokering an end to the Ukraine conflict.
Meanwhile, justice ministers from around the world will meet in London today to discuss scaling up their support for the ICC.
And former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev has said that the ICC’s decision to issue an arrest warrant for Mr Putin will have “horrible” consequences for international law.
Putin to welcome Xi to Moscow under shadow of Ukraine war
Russian president Vladimir Putin will expect Chinese president Xi Jinping to show solidarity against Western hegemony when he arrives in Moscow today, while Mr Xi will present China as a global peacemaker intent on brokering an end to the Ukraine war.
The Chinese president will be the first world leader to shake Mr Putin’s hand since the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued an arrest warrant for the Russian leader on Friday over the deportation of Ukrainian children to Russia since the start of the war. Moscow rejects the charge.
Russian president Vladimir Putin holds a meeting with Chinese president Xi Jinping via a video link at the Kremlin in Moscow on 30 December 2022
(AFP via Getty Images)
Russia will present Mr Xi’s trip – his first since securing an unprecedented third term this month – as evidence that it has a powerful friend prepared to stand with it against a hostile West that it says is trying in vain to isolate and defeat it.
For Mr Xi the visit will be a diplomatic tightrope, with China recently releasing a 12-point proposal to solve the Ukraine crisis, but at the same time strengthening ties with its closest ally.
Namita Singh20 March 2023 05:00
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