Vladimir Putin and his "expensive companion," Chinese leader Xi Jinping, arranged more talks on Tuesday after a Kremlin supper where the confined Russian president curried support with his most capable partner within the context of Western resistance to the war in Ukraine.
Washington condemned Xi's visit, claiming it demonstrated Beijing was giving Moscow "diplomatic cover" to commit more crimes. This came just days after an international court accused Putin of war crimes.
While on his first international trip since being elected to an unprecedented third term earlier this month, Xi has been attempting to position Beijing as a potential peacemaker in Ukraine, even as he strengthens economic ties with his closest ally.
When Putin and Xi first met on Monday in the Kremlin, they addressed one another as "dear friends." Later, Russian state news agencies reported that they had informal talks for nearly 4-1/2 hours, with more formal discussions planned for Tuesday.
Putin told Xi in televised remarks that he respected China's suggestions for resolving the Ukraine conflict. For his part, Xi praised Putin and forecast that Russians would choose him again in 2018.
Moscow has been openly announcing its plans for Xi's visit for months. After the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued an arrest warrant for Putin on Friday, accusing him of war crimes for deporting children from Ukraine, the timing of the Chinese leader's personal support, however, gave it new significance.
Moscow, which refuted the accusations, claimed it had taken in orphans in order to protect them and had instituted legal action against the ICC's prosecutor and judges. Beijing claimed that the warrant demonstrated bias.
According to U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, "President Xi's trip to Russia comes days after the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for President Putin, suggesting that China feels no obligation to hold the Kremlin accountable for the atrocities committed in Ukraine."
It would rather offer diplomatic cover for Russia to continue committing those serious crimes than even denounce them.
Washington was concerned that Beijing might instead call for a ceasefire that would allow Russian troops to remain when White House spokesman John Kirby said Xi should use his influence to pressure Putin to withdraw troops from Ukraine.
China has unveiled a plan to end the Ukraine crisis, which the West has largely dismissed as a ruse to buy Putin time to reassemble his forces and tighten his hold on the territory he has occupied.
Analysts of international relations said that while Putin would be hoping for Xi's strong backing on Ukraine, they doubted that Xi's visit to Moscow would result in any military support.
Xi's entourage does not include any senior members of the People's Liberation Army, sending a clear signal that Beijing is unlikely to provide any direct military support to Moscow, according to Yu Jie, senior research fellow, Asia-Pacific Program, Chatham House in London. However, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has warned that China arming Russia could trigger World War Three. Kyiv, which maintains that the war cannot end until Russia withdraws its troops, cautiously welcomed Beijing's peace proposal.
Japan's Prime Minister, Fumio Kishida, has boarded a train bound for Kyiv to deliver a message of solidarity and support to Ukraine. He is scheduled to meet with President Zelenskiy to discuss the invasion, which has forced millions of people to flee and killed tens of thousands of civilians. The European Union has agreed to buy 1 million rounds of 155 mm artillery shells for Ukraine, as both sides fire thousands of rounds per day in an attrition war.
The latest $350 million military aid package from the United States includes additional ammunition for Bradley infantry fighting vehicles, HIMARS rocket launchers, howitzers, anti-tank weapons, and riverboats. Bakhmut, a town in eastern Ukraine, saw fierce fighting continue, but Ukrainian military analyst Oleh Zhdanov reported fewer attacks than usual over the previous 24 hours.
"This might be connected to the Chinese leader's trip to Moscow. Why? Because China has expressed support for a ceasefire and an end to the war, Putin is unlikely to display aggression on the front lines. "This will probably go on for the rest of his two-day stay."
Hundreds of thousands of recently called-up reservists and prisoners recruited from jails are taking part in a massive winter offensive launched by Moscow, which has not achieved a significant victory since August.
"They have lost the initiative practically throughout the length of the front line," Ukrainian military expert Oleksandr Kovalenko said on Ukrainian NV Radio.