Xi and Putin put ‘united front’ against West

AFP | Moscow                                               

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com    

China and Russia’s leaders hailed a “new era” in their relationship yesterday, putting on a united front in Moscow as Vladimir Putin accused the West of rejecting Beijing’s proposals to end the Ukraine conflict.

The nations, eager to curb Western power, expressed concerns about Nato expansion in Asia and agreed to deepen a partnership which has only grown closer since Putin launched an offensive in Ukraine.

Putin said he was open to talks on Ukraine and praised Beijing’s 12-point position paper on the conflict, which includes a call for dialogue and respect for all countries’ territorial sovereignty. He accused Kyiv of not being willing to implement China’s proposals, which the US has said would simply consolidate “Russian conquest” and allow the Kremlin to prepare a fresh offensive.

“Many of the provisions of the peace plan put forward by China... can be taken as the basis for a peaceful settlement when Kyiv and the West will be ready for it,” Putin said after talks with Chinese leader Xi Jinping.

“However, so far we have not seen such readiness on their part.” Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky said Kyiv had invited China to talks and is waiting for an answer from Beijing.

“We offered China to become a partner in the implementation of the peace formula. We passed over our formula across all channels. We invite you to dialogue. We are waiting for your answer,” Zelensky told a press conference yesterday. Moscow and Beijing have over the past years ramped up cooperation, both driven by a desire to counterbalance US global dominance.