US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said that Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit to Moscow shows China’s intention to provide “diplomatic cover for Russian atrocities in Ukraine” instead of condemning them, CNN reports.

• “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 to provide diplomatic cover for Russia to continue to commit these crimes,” Blinken said at a press conference.

However, the US secretary of state said that “elements” of China’s peace offer were consistent with efforts that the US would support.

• “China’s proposal contains elements that we have supported for a long time, including ensuring nuclear security, addressing the humanitarian crisis, protecting civilians, and indeed, the first element calls for preserving the sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of all countries,” Blinken said.

But he states that any call for a ceasefire in Ukraine “that does not involve the withdrawal of Russian troops from Ukrainian territory would effectively support the ratification of the Russian conquest” because “it would allow President Putin to rest and rebuild his troops and then resume the war in a more profitable moment for Russia.”

“Dear friend”

Xi is the first leader to meet Vladimir Putin in Moscow after the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued an arrest warrant for him on Friday over the deportation of Ukrainian children to Russia.

At the meeting with Xi Jinping, Vladimir Putin said that he is ready to discuss the peace plan proposed by Beijing to resolve the conflict in Ukraine:

• “We are always open to the negotiation process. Undoubtedly, we will discuss all these issues, including your initiatives, which we respect,” Putin said at the start of the meeting, which was broadcast on Russian public television.
• “We have many common tasks and goals,” added the head of the Kremlin

Both leaders addressed each other with the phrase “dear friend”.

For his part, the Chinese president told Vladimir Putin that he is “convinced” that he has the support of the Russian people ahead of the 2024 presidential election.

“We are partners in global strategic cooperation. This status requires close relations between our countries,” said the Chinese head of state at the beginning of the meeting with the Russian leader.

On Monday, Kyiv asked Beijing to use its influence with Moscow to end the war of aggression in Ukraine. However, China’s proposal contains only general statements and does not contain any concrete details on how to end the conflict, which has so far resulted in tens of thousands of deaths and the displacement of millions of people.