On Wednesday, Chinese President Xi Jinping was scheduled to leave Moscow following a grandiose show of unity with Russian President Vladimir Putin against the West, but without directly endorsing Putin's conflict in Ukraine.

Xi barely mentioned the conflict in Ukraine during his two-day visit, and in his closing remarks on Tuesday, he claimed that China had an "impartial position"

The White House responded to the Xi-Putin meeting by claiming that China's stance was not impartial and urging Beijing to put pressure on Moscow to leave Ukraine's sovereign territory in order to put an end to the continent's worst conflict since World War Two.

Air raid sirens wailed throughout the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, and in the country's north and east as Xi got ready to leave Moscow, with reports of drone attacks but no significant destruction.

Xi's visit to Moscow, which the Kremlin hailed as a sign of support from its most powerful ally, included carefully staged pomp and ceremony, but the spectacle was also characterized by a lot of demonstrative goodwill between the two autocrats.

Putin and Xi referred to one another as "dear friends," pledged economic cooperation, and said that relations between their nations are at their best ever.

A peace plan that Xi put forth last month was praised by Putin, and its rejection was attributed to Kyiv and the West. The bloody year-long war, which has claimed tens of thousands of lives and forced millions to flee, is not specifically addressed in China's 12-point plan. Through international sanctions, the West has attempted to isolate Russia, and the International Criminal Court has issued an arrest warrant for Putin. The West is worried that because China has not backed any of the actions, it could arm Russia in its conflict. An approximate $15.6 billion loan package for the devastated nation over four years was announced as a preliminary agreement between the IMF and Kyiv.

Putin warned of consequences and denounced British plans to send tank ammunition containing depleted uranium to Ukraine. The British Minister of State for Defense, Annabel Goldie, had claimed the day before that the Challenger 2 battle tanks' ammunition included armor-piercing rounds that contained depleted uranium. The funds would support Ukraine, whose infrastructure and economy have been severely damaged by Russia's year-long offensive.

The conflict has slowed to a war of attrition, so the US wants to hasten the delivery of 31 Abrams battle tanks to Ukraine. Faster delivery, according to the Pentagon, was made possible by a tank variant that can run on diesel fuel. President Volodymyr Zelenskiy pleaded with Ukraine's allies to swiftly increase military assistance, including ammunition. Ukraine has been consuming artillery rounds faster than its allies can supply them, so the European Union has promised to send 1 million of them over the course of the next year.

The fiercest fighting, according to the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, is still going on south of Bakhmut and Avdiivka. Russian attacks increased significantly, with 120 along the main stretches of the front line, more than doubling from the previous day. Elderly residents lined up to receive food and water that was delivered by an emergency service team. Oleksii Stepanov claimed he had lived in Bakhmut up until five days ago, but was forced to leave after a missile destroyed his home.

Moscow has begun a massive winter offensive using tens of thousands of recently activated reserve members and prisoners who were hired as mercenaries from prison.

The front line has barely moved over the past four months, with the exception of Bakhmut, where Russian forces made gains in January and February, despite the bloodiest fighting of the war, which both sides have described as "a meat grinder." This month, Ukraine made the decision not to withdraw its troops from the destroyed city.