Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Tuesday that the peace plan presented by China at the end of February could become the basis for ending the conflict in Ukraine, the BBC reports.

Many points of the “peaceful” plan for Ukraine, proposed by China, “correlate with the point of view” of Russia, Vladimir Putin said at a press conference with the leader of Beijing, Xi Jinping, following the results of new negotiations held on April 24. Tuesday, also writes The Guardian.

Putin said he and Xi “spent a lot of time” and “paid a lot of attention” to Beijing’s plan to end the conflict in Ukraine.

“We believe that many points of China’s peace plan correlate with the point of view of the Russian Federation, and many of these points can be accepted in the West and in Kyiv,” Putin said.

Xi Jinping, in turn, said that the government in Beijing advocates “active reconciliation” and “always for peace and dialogue.”

China is impartial, claims a “friend” of Vladimir Putin

China is on the right side of history regarding the war in Ukraine, Xi Jinping added, insisting that Beijing’s position is impartial.

In a document released on February 24, a year after the start of the Russian invasion, the Chinese government asked Russia and Ukraine to resume dialogue and renounced any use of nuclear weapons.

In its 12-point document on the “political settlement of the Ukrainian crisis”, China called on both sides to agree to a gradual de-escalation leading to a full ceasefire.

While the plan calls for the protection of civilians and respect for the sovereignty of all countries, China has refrained from condemning Russia for its invasion.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi said after the publication of the plan that he wanted to meet with Xi Jinping to discuss China’s proposals.

But Zelenskyi made these comments on the eve of Xi Jinping’s official visit to Moscow, during which he spoke of his “friendship” with Vladimir Putin and confirmed economic and diplomatic cooperation between Russia and China.

On Monday, the talks between Xi and Putin lasted more than 4 hours, the Chinese president, in turn, invited the Kremlin leader to visit his country on an official visit.

The US rejected China’s peace plan

US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said that Xi Jinping’s visit to Moscow shows China’s intention to provide “diplomatic cover for Russia’s atrocities in Ukraine”, rather than condemning them.

“President Xi travels to Russia days after the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for President Putin, suggesting that China feels no responsibility to hold the Kremlin accountable for its atrocities in Ukraine and instead condemns, prefers provide diplomatic cover for Russia to continue to commit these crimes,” Blinken said at a press conference.

US President Joe Biden, on the other hand, rejected the Chinese peace plan immediately after its publication.

“I don’t see anything in this plan that would indicate that there is anything that would be beneficial to anyone other than Russia if China’s plan is implemented,” the head of the White House said on February 25.

He added that “the idea that China will negotiate the outcome of the war, which is completely unfair to Ukraine, is simply irrational.”

“If (Russian President Vladimir) Putin is applauding this, how can he be good?” Joe Biden said of the Chinese plan. “I’m not kidding. I’m just extremely honest,” he emphasized.

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