Vladimir Putin expects Chinese President Xi Jinping to show his solidarity with him against the West during a visit to Moscow on Monday, while Xi will present China as a global peacemaker who intends to help end the war in Ukraine.

The latest on the war in Ukraine, day 390, LIVETEXT:

A brief summary. Monday morning, latest events:

• Xi will become the first world leader to shake Putin’s hand after the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued an arrest warrant for the Russian leader on Friday over the deportation of Ukrainian children to Russia. In an article in a Chinese newspaper, Putin said he had high hopes for a visit from his “good and old friend” Xi, with whom he signed a “boundless” strategic partnership last year.
• China’s peace proposal contains only general statements and no specific details on how to end the war. The United States and its Western allies are particularly skeptical of China’s motives, noting that it has refused to condemn Russia for its aggression and offered it an economic lifeline while other countries have imposed sanctions on it.
• Justice ministers from around the world will meet in London on Monday to discuss increasing support for the International Criminal Court after it issued an arrest warrant for Putin.
• Several countries of the European Union will sign an agreement on the purchase of 155 mm artillery shells for Ukraine on Monday in Brussels. Kyiv considers the supply of 155 mm shells a critical need, as both sides fire thousands of artillery shells every day.
• The deal, which allows Ukrainian grain to be safely exported to the Black Sea, has been extended for at least 60 days – half the planned period – after Russia warned that any further extension beyond mid-May would depend on the lifting of Western sanctions.
• In Ukraine, fierce fighting continued in the eastern city of Bakhmut, with each side launching a counteroffensive.
• The Russian mercenary group “Wagner”, which is leading the assault on Bakhmut and suffered heavy losses, plans to recruit about 30,000 new fighters by mid-May, Yevgeny Prigozhin said. Ukrainian officials claimed that about 30,000 fighters of the “Wagner” PMK had deserted or were killed or wounded.
• Igor Girkin, a former commander of the Donbas separatists, says that the only moments when Putin is his true self and not a double are when he appears alone or at the end of the table, away from the guests.
• Putin claimed that he did not start the war in Ukraine in 2014 because Russia was not militarily prepared and did not have “hypersonic weapons”.
• South Africa has said it is aware of its legal obligations over a possible summer visit by Vladimir Putin after the ICC issued an arrest warrant for the Russian leader.
• Putin visited Mariupol at night “like a thief”, the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine reported on Sunday.
• The Biden administration resumed, without public announcement, the deportation of Russians who fled to American soil due to fear of mobilization.

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• Sunday’s events related to Russian aggression were broadcast LIVE on HotNews.ro