China’s Xi Jinping calls Russia ‘true friend’ after call with Putin on Ukraine war anniversary | World News

The state news agency earlier reported that Xi Jinping spoke to Vladimir Putin on a phone call on Monday “upon invitation” with the Russian leader, where Putin briefed Xi about Russia’s talks with the US on peace in Ukraine.

According to a report by Xinhua, Xi said that “history and reality show that China and Russia are good neighbours that cannot be moved away, and true friends” who share both good and bad times. He also added that both countries “support each other and achieve common development”.

The phone call comes on the third anniversary of the start of the Russia-Ukraine war. Moscow and Beijing have strengthened military and trade ties since Russia sent troops into Ukraine in 2022, though China has sought to depict itself as a neutral party in the conflict.

The Kremlin released a statement after the phone call, saying that President Putin briefed President Xi Jinping on contacts between Russia and the US.

Russian and US officials met in Saudi Arabia last week where Moscow says they agreed to start work on restoring bilateral ties and preparing for Ukraine peace talks.

The Kremlin’s statement added that Xi had expressed his support for the dialogue between Moscow and Washington and had spoken of China’s readiness to help find a peace settlement for the conflict in Ukraine, Reuters reported.

The close partnership between China and Russia

China has remained a close political and economic partner of Russia over the years and also during Moscow’s war with Kyiv. Beijing has never condemned Russia’s actions in Ukraine, leading some NATO members to brand the country and its government an “enabler” of the conflict.

Both countries have played up the supposedly strong personal bond between Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin. While the Chinese President has called his Russian counterpart his ‘best friend’, Putin has lauded Xi as his ‘reliable partner’.