Ahead Of Xi Jinping's Russia Visit, Putin Hails China's 'Balanced Stance' In Ukraine War

In an article for a Chinese newspaper, Putin said quality of ties between Moscow and Beijing is "higher than the political and military unions of the Cold War era".

Putin hailed China for its "willingness to play a constructive role" in resolving the Ukraine conflict. (Representational Image)

Source : AFP

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Sunday praised China’s “willingness to play a constructive role” in resolving the Ukraine conflict, saying Sino-Russian relations were at the “highest point”, reported AFP.  Writing an article for a Chinese newspaper and published by the Kremlin on the eve of Xi’s visit, Putin said that the quality of ties between Moscow and Beijing is "higher than the political and military unions of the Cold War era".

Putin’s Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping will be travelling to Russia today hoping to deliver a breakthrough on Ukraine as Beijing seeks to position itself as a peacemaker. 

The Russian President further said that he had “high expectations” of his talks with the Chinese leader. 

"We have no doubt that they will give a new powerful impetus to the whole bilateral cooperation," he added.

Putin welcomed “China’s willingness to play a constructive role in resolving" the year-long conflict in Ukraine, adding he was grateful to Beijing for its “balanced” stance on events in Ukraine and its understanding of the conflict's backstory and the "real reasons" behind it.

"Russia is open to a settlement of the Ukrainian crisis by political-diplomatic means," Putin assured in the article.

 However, he also insisted on Kyiv’s recognition of the “new geopolitical realities” namely Russia’s last year's annexation of four Ukrainian regions, as well as Crimea back in 2014. 

"Unfortunately, ultimatums to Russia show that (their authors) are far from these realities and have no interest in seeking a solution," he added.

Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin while announcing the trip on Friday said Beijing would "play a constructive role in promoting peace talks".

Freshly reappointed for a third term in power, Xi is pushing a greater role for China on the global stage, and was crucial in mediating a surprise rapprochement between Middle Eastern rivals Iran and Saudi Arabia this month.