Nervous Putin’s feet twitch in talks with Xi on plan to end ‘acute crisis’ in Ukraine
Vladimir Putin’s summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping has been criticsed as a a possible “stalling tactic” allowing Russian forces to recallibrate on the ground. Putin was pictured shuffling his feet today during a stilted conversation with Xi Jinping at the Kremlin in Moscow, where both appeared to be ill at ease. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has said he is sceptical about the talks working towards peace. “The world should not be fooled by any tactical move by Russia, supported by China or any other country, to freeze the war on its own terms,” Mr Blinken said.
Mr Blinken said United States welcomed any talks that could secure a “just and durable peace” but doubts that China is concerned with restoring the “sovereignty and territorial integrity” of Ukraine.
“Any plan that does not prioritise this critical principle is a stalling tactic at best or is merely seeking to facilitate an unjust outcome. That is not constructive diplomacy,” he added. “Calling for a ceasefire that does not include the removal of Russian forces from Ukrainian territory would effectively be supporting the ratification of Russian conquest.”
Xi Jinping cannot be seen as an “honest broker” between Russia and the West, and will certainly not be seen as one by Ukraine‘s President Volodymyr Zelensky, a UK-based expert has said.
The footage showed the pair sitting several feet apart, exchanging greetings but both grimacing. Putin in particular appears uneasy and is moving his feet constantly.
Xi had earlier touched down in Moscow for a three-day visit. Footage showing Xi disembarking from Moscow and being whisked away by motorcade for meetings with Putin – who was not present at the airport to greet him – at the Kremlin.
Later, the pair were pictured in widely circulated video footage, with Putin welcoming China’s plan to settle what he called Russia’s ‘acute crisis’ in Ukraine. Xi meanwhile referred to Putin as his “dear friend” and predicted the visit would “be fruitful and give new momentum to the healthy and stable development of Chinese-Russian relations”.
China’s foreign ministry peviously described the visit as a “journey of co-operation, friendship and peace”, having set the tone by calling on the ICC to “respect the jurisdictional immunity” of a head of state and “avoid politicisation and double standards”, after the court issued a warrant for Vladimir Putin’s arrest over allegations of Russian war crimes in Ukraine.
China and Russia has also referred to Xi’s trip as part of efforts to further deepen their “no-limits friendship.”
The Kremlin earlier welcomed China’s peace plan for Ukraine and said it would be discussed talks between Putin and Xi that will begin over dinner on Monday.
Beijing has called for a ceasefire, but Washington strongly rejected the idea as the effective ratification of the Kremlin’s battlefield gains.
