Russian President Vladimir Putin said that Russia is open to a diplomatic resolution in Ukraine and praised China’s 12-point document laying out a path to peace in an article written by Putin and published in the Chinese newspaper People's Daily on Sunday.
Meanwhile, Chinese President Xi Jinping penned an article for Russia’s RIA Novosti and Rossiyskaya Gazeta papers, praising the relationship between Russia and China and saying that his country is ready to play an “unbiased” role in ending the crisis in Ukraine.
Both articles were published one day before Xi travels to Moscow to visit Russia, marking his first foreign trip since being reelected the leader of the country for a third five-year term earlier this month. Xi is expected to stay in Russia from March 20 to March 22.
The Ukraine Crisis
“Russia is open to the political and diplomatic resolution of the Ukraine crisis ... The future of the peace process depends solely on the will to engage in a meaningful discussion taking into account current geopolitical realities,” said Putin in the article.
In February, China released a 12-point document titled “China Position on the Political Settlement of the Ukraine Crisis.” The document was vehemently rejected by NATO countries and the Ukrainian government.
“China has an objective and unbiased stance based on what is actually happening,” Xi wrote, “and it is making active efforts to contribute to reconciliation and peace talks.”
Putin said that he welcomes China’s attempts to restore peace in the region.
“We appreciate the well-balanced stance on the events in Ukraine adopted by the PRC [People's Republic of China], as well as its understanding of their historical background and root causes. We welcome China's readiness to make a meaningful contribution to the settlement of the crisis.”
Xi reiterated his country’s stance on the best course of action to achieve peace in the region:
“It involves the necessity to follow goals and principles of the UN Charter, respect reasonable security concerns of all countries, support all the efforts aimed at peaceful settlement of the Ukrainian crisis and ensure stability of supply chains,” Xi wrote.
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Friendship Between Russia and China
In his article, Putin expressed admiration for China and Xi, calling the Chinese President his “good old friend” and said that the two enjoy a “warm relationship.”
“I am convinced that our friendship and partnership based on the strategic choice of the peoples of the two countries will further grow and gain strength for the well-being and prosperity of Russia and China,” Putin wrote. “This visit of the President of the PRC to Russia will undoubtedly contribute to that.”
Putin also noted that trade between the two countries doubled in 2022, reaching a record $185 billion and that he has “every reason to believe” they will reach $200 billion this year instead of in 2024 as originally predicted. Putin said the relationship between China and Russia is stronger than it has ever been, including during the Cold War.
“The progress made in the development of bilateral ties is impressive. The Russia-China relations have reached the highest level in their history and are gaining even more strength,” Putin wrote. “[T]hey surpass Cold War-time military-political alliances in their quality, with no one to constantly order and no one to constantly obey, without limitations or taboos. We have reached an unprecedented level of trust in our political dialogue, our strategic cooperation has become truly comprehensive in nature and is standing on the brink of a new era. President Xi Jinping and I have met about 40 times and have always found time and opportunity to talk in a variety of official formats as well as at no‑tie events,”
In his article, Xi agreed with the Russian President’s assessment of where the two countries stand.
“The parties are continuously bolstering political trust, creating a new paradigm for relations between the major powers," Xi wrote ahead of his visit to Moscow, adding that "China and Russia abide by the concept of eternal friendship and mutually beneficial cooperation."
The relationship between China and Russia is “continuously gaining new strength and [will] serve as a benchmark for a new type of state-to-state relations,” wrote Xi.
“My first foreign trip after I was appointed the Chinese president took place in Russia 10 years ago. I have traveled to Russia eight times over the past 10 years. Thanks to these trips that always bring pleasure and results, President Putin and I have opened a new chapter in the annals of the Russian-Chinese relations," Xi stated.
NATO and the Multipolar World
The Russian President also said that the West’s stance against Russia and China has become “more fierce and aggressive,” saying that the leaders of those countries are “gambling on the fates of entire states and peoples” to preserve its “vanishing dominance.”
“We are committed to the principle of the indivisibility of security, which is being grossly violated by the NATO bloc. We are deeply concerned over the irresponsible and outright dangerous actions that jeopardize nuclear security. We reject illegitimate unilateral sanctions, which must be lifted,” wrote Putin.
Russia has been under unilateral sanctions from NATO countries and the West, and China has also been threatened with sanctions stemming from unproven allegations that China is providing military support to Russia for the country’s special operation in Ukraine.
Both Russia and China have been developing their relationships with other countries, and Putin specifically pointed towards BRICS, a coalition of emerging economies Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) which includes India, Tajikistan, Russia, Pakistan, China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan as evidence that the two countries “serve as the cornerstone of regional and global stability.”
Putin compared the organizations to NATO which he says is “persistently working to split the common Eurasian space into a network of ‘exclusive clubs’ and military blocs that would serve to contain our countries' development and harm their interests,” noting that the plan “won’t work.”
President Putin also praised China’s Global Security Initiative, which he says is “in line with the Russian approaches in this area.”
Putin noted that both China and Russia are building literal and figurative “bridges” with other countries through the promotion of BRICS and the SCO.
On Saturday, the People's Daily called Xi's trip to Moscow the "Trip for peace" and noted that it would bolster ties to Russia.