War & peace

Russian President Vladimir Putin has told Chinese President Xi Jinping that he had looked at China’s proposals for a resolution of the Ukraine conflict and that he viewed them with respect, reported Reuters. Putin tells Xi Jinping, who is in Moscow for a three-day state visit to Russia, that they will discuss China’s Ukraine peace plan. Xi arrived in Moscow to meet with President Putin, a state visit that will highlight their nations’ close ties amid the war in Ukraine and will be closely watched by Kyiv and its Western allies. Xi Jinping told President Putin that he was convinced that Putin enjoyed the Russian people’s support ahead of a presidential election scheduled for next year, it reported.Speaking at informal talks at the start of Xi’s state visit to Moscow, Putin also said that Russia was “slightly envious” of China’s rapid development in recent decades. Meanwhile, Ukraine and the United Kingdom have called on the Chinese leader to use his influence and press Moscow to end the war. The UK said that China should back up its support for the respect of territorial integrity and demand that Russia end its war in Ukraine.We hope President Xi uses this opportunity to press President (Vladimir) Putin to cease bombing Ukrainian cities, hospitals, schools, to halt some of these atrocities that we are seeing on a daily basis, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s spokesman said as Xi and Putin meet in Moscow. Kyiv expects China to use its influence on Russia to end the war in Ukraine