Xi did so as Russia bombarded a dam in the central city of Kryvyi Rih and shelled Zaporizhzhia in the southeast as it pushed back against a week of losses to Ukrainian resistance. China has had to balance its own diplomatic goals with escalating fears about the territorial ambitions of Moscow in Central Asia,where former Soviet Socialist Republics including Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan have long memories of Russian occupation.
In a concession to Beijing’s disquiet about the ongoing trajectory of the war,Putin said he understood China’s “questions and concerns” before thanking Xi for China’s “balanced view” on the “Ukraine topic”.
The Russian President said interventions by the West “have taken an absolutely ugly form lately,which the overwhelming majority of nations of the planet find unacceptable”.
In his opening remarks Xi urged Russia to “assume the role of great powers and play a guiding role to inject stability and positive energy into a world rocked by social turmoil”. He said China was willing to cooperate with Russia to advance both countries’ mutual interests.
Just before midnight AEST,neither side had released an individual or joint statement after the discussion between the two leaders.
The pair last met in Beijing at the Winter Olympics as Russia amassed thousands of troops on the Ukrainian border. Putin on Thursday offered Russia’s support for China’s “one China policy” a month after Xi’s military encircled Taiwan,the self-governed democratic island that China claims as its own.