Putin Admits China Has Concerns Over Ukraine – Russian President Vladimir Putin acknowledged for the first time on Thursday that Chinese President Xi Jinping had “concerns” about the situation in Ukraine in the midst of a devastating counter-offensive.
Putin made the remarks during his first face-to-face meeting with Xi since the start of the war, which has killed thousands of people and sent global food and energy prices soaring.
The two leaders met in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, an eight-nation security alliance formed to counterbalance US influence that also includes India and Pakistan. After Putin said the US’s “ugly” attempts to create a unipolar world would fail, Xi said he was happy to see “my old friend” again.
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“We highly value our Chinese friends’ balanced position on the Ukraine crisis,” Putin told Xi. “We understand your concerns and questions about this. We will, of course, explain our position during today’s meeting.”
Putin’s remarks about China’s concerns over the war come just days after a lightning rout of Moscow’s soldiers in northeastern Ukraine, which saw Kyiv’s forces reclaim several occupied cities and villages.
Xi, on whom the Communist Party is due next month to bestow a historic third leadership term and thus cement his place as the country’s most powerful leader since Mao Zedong, did not mention Ukraine in his public remarks.
China has refrained from condemning Russia’s operation against Ukraine or referring to it as a “invasion,” in keeping with the Kremlin’s description of the conflict as a “special military operation.” The last time Xi and Putin met in person, just weeks before Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, they declared a “no limits” partnership and agreed to work more closely together against the West.
Nonetheless, Beijing has been cautious not to provide Russia with material support, which could result in Western sanctions against China’s economy. While Xi has met Putin 39 times since becoming China’s president in 2013, he has yet to meet US President Joe Biden since he took office in 2021.
Putin also met with Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi on Thursday, whose country is set to join the Shanghai Cooperation Organization. Raisi stated that Moscow and Tehran were nearing completion on a major treaty that would elevate their relations to a “strategic level.”
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Both he and Putin criticized the United States at the start of their meeting. Raisi accused the United States of failing to meet its obligations under Iran’s nuclear deal with world powers. “They are masters of their word — they give it and then take it back whenever they want,” Putin said of American officials.
