Russian President Putin lauds China's peace plan in the Ukraine conflict

Russian President Vladimir Putin showed support for Chinas peace plan amid the ongoing military tussle with Ukraine calling it a genuine desire to bring an end to the hostilities Al Jazeera reportedAccording to an ANI report during his twoday visit to China to meet with President Xi Jinping Putin praised Beijings strategy saying it understood the conflicts root causes and its global geopolitical significanceChinas 12point proposal for putting an end to the conflict had received a mixed response upon its release last year Putin however praised the new policies announced last month calling them pragmatic and constructive steps that elaborate on the imperative to transcend the Cold War mindset according to XinhuaJinpings additional principles defined during discussions with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz advocate for deescalation the establishment of conditions conducive to peace and stability and softening the blow on the global economyMykhailo Podolyak the presidential advisor to Ukraine referred to Putins remarks on possible peace talks as hypocritical according to Al Jazeera Putin arrived in Beijing on Thursday marking his first overseas trip since his reelection in March and his second visit to China in just over six months Furthermore hes going to a trade and investment exhibit in the northeastern city of HarbinOnly a few days before Moscows purported invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 the friendship between China and Russia was proclaimed to have no limits Beijing has not directly supported Russia militarily but in the extraordinary sanctions the West imposed in reaction to Russias military activities Beijing has become an important economic partnerTrade between the two countries has increased with China gaining from cheap imports of Russian energy and easy access to a wealth of natural resources notably steady gas exports through the Power of Siberia pipeline China continues to exercise caution in light of the prolonged trade battle with the United States even despite the economic gains The two economic giants tense relations have worsened since the US recently imposed significant tariffs on several Chinese exportsFurthermore as reported by Al Jazeera the US has imposed sanctions on many entities including Chinese enterprises to impede Russias military capabilities in response to Chinas claimed backing for Russias actions in Ukraine US Secretary of State Antony Blinken expressed grave concern over the situation and reaffirmed Washingtons determination to enforce sanctions against businesses connected to Chinas purported assistance for Russias military operations in Ukraine Russia views the conflict in Ukraine as a struggle against a collective West that disregarded its security concerns by advocating for the expansion of NATO and conducting military activities near its bordersPresident of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy has been pushing for Chinas involvement in a peace summit that is set to take place in Switzerland in June But Russia which is not allowed to attend the summit rejects the idea as meaningless and maintains that talks need to take into account the new realities Al Jazeera claimed that as part of Zelenskyys efforts to win support for Ukraine he asked the US for Patriot missile defence systems to guard Kharkiv which is close to the Russian border from Russian soldiers that are still making advances in the areaWith Inputs from ANI