The Kremlin has familiarized itself with China’s proposed plan to resolve the crisis in Ukraine and is ready to discuss it, Russian President Vladimir Putin said during an informal meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping, who arrived in Moscow for his first official international visit since his re-election.
“We have carefully studied your proposals to resolve the acute crisis in Ukraine. <…> We are always open to the negotiation process. We will, of course, discuss all these issues, including your initiatives, which we treat with respect, of course,” Putin said, as reported by RIA Novosti. The Russian leader congratulated his colleague from China on his re-election and noted that this indicated the support of the people of the Celestial Empire for Mr. Xi's activities in the previous ten years of his work. Putin also noted the huge leap forward in development that China has made in recent years. "There is genuine interest in this all over the world, and we even envy you a little," the Russian president noted, adding that the two states still have many common goals. Xi Jinping, in turn, called Putin his dear friend and pointed out that his first visit after his re-election was to Moscow. Recall that Xi did the same ten years ago when he was elected head of the Chinese Communist Party. He noted that Russia has achieved great success precisely thanks to the work of its president, and Xi Jinping is therefore confident that the Russian people will support Putin in the next presidential election in 2024. Putin has not yet spoken about his candidacy . "The Chinese side pays great attention to the development of China-Russia relations, because it has its own historical logic, since we are the largest neighboring countries, we are partners in comprehensive strategic cooperation. It is this status that determines that there must be close relations between our countries”, RIA Novosti quotes the President of the PRC. After the opening speeches, talks between the leaders of the two countries continued the face-to-face conversation. Then they have a joint dinner. Official negotiations will take place tomorrow at 3:00 p.m. Moscow time at the Grand Kremlin Palace.
