Vladimir Putin met China’s president, Xi Jinping on Monday, despite the ICC issuing an arrest warrant late last week over the Russian Leader’s war crimes. Source: Kremlin
Despite the International Criminal Court (ICC) issuing an arrest warrant for the Russian President last Friday, Vladimir Putin will be shaking hands with his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, during the Chinese President’s visit to Moscow on Monday.
Xi will be the first world leader to meet Putin since the ICC accused him of war crimes in Ukraine, regarding the deportation of Ukrainian children to Russia during the war.
Neither Russia or China are members of the ICC, and the Kremlin declared the arrest warrant as outrageous and “legally null and void”.
The meeting between the pair had been planned since at least January.
Any sign of foreign solidarity has been important for Russia in its attempt to legitimise its invasion of Ukraine in the eyes of the international community.
“We are grateful for the balanced line of (China) in connection with the events taking place in Ukraine, for understanding their background and true causes. We welcome China’s willingness to play a constructive role in resolving the crisis,” Putin has said.
Last month, China published a paper asking for dialogue and a settlement regarding the Ukraine war. However, it contained no specific proposal on how to end the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine.
The Ukrainian government welcomed China’s proposal, but warned that any settlement would require the complete withdrawal of Russian forces from Ukrainian territory, including the Crimean Peninsula that Russia annexed in 2014.
The United States government was sceptical of China’s involvement, as the country has never specifically condemned the Russian invasion.
Over the weekend, White House spokesperson John Kirby told Fox News that any calls but Russia or China for a ceasefire now would simply “ratify Russia’s conquest to date”.
Kirby said China’s solution was unacceptable. “All that’s going to do is give Mr Putin more time to re-fit, re-train, re-man, and try for renewed offensives at a time of his choosing.”
During the weekend, Putin visited the occupied city of Mariupol. It was his first trip to Ukraine since Russia illegally annexed territory last September.
Footage on Russian state television showed Putin driving around the city, being briefed on reconstruction efforts, and speaking with rehoused residents.
One resident told the Russian President that Mariupol is “a little piece of heaven that we have here now,” and thanked Putin for “the victory”.
