President Xi Jinping makes first Moscow visit since war began in Ukraine

ITV News' Asia Correspondent Debbie Edward reports live from Beijing as China's President Xi Jinping meets with Putin in Moscow

China's President Xi Jinping has been welcomed in Moscow for a three-day visit just days after an international arrest warrant was issued for Putin on war crimes charges related to the war in Ukraine.The visit will be a welcomed political boost for Russia with the Kremlin seeking to further deepen the 'no-limits friendship' between the two nations.

China on the other hand looks to Russia as a source of oil and gas for its energy-hungry economy, and as a partner in standing up to what they both see as US domination of global affairs.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Monday, Putin and Xi will touch on issues related to Ukraine, adding that Russia's president will likely offer a “detailed explanation” of Moscow's view on the current situation.

The two countries, which are among the five permanent members of the UN Security Council, also have held joint military drills.

Putin shook hands with Xi before they sat down to make a brief statement at the start of their meeting, calling each other “dear friend” and exchanged compliments.

Putin congratulated Xi on his re-election and voiced hope for building even stronger ties.

He welcomed China’s proposals for a political settlement in Ukraine and noted that Russia is open for talks.

“We will discuss all those issues, including your initiative that we highly respect,” he said. “Our cooperation in the international arena undoubtedly helps strengthen the basic principles of the global order and multipolarity.”

Xi thanked Putin for the congratulations on his re-election and noted that he chose Russia as the site of his first foreign trip after that.

Downing Street officials have said President Xi's visit should be used to urge Vladimir Putin to halt its bombings and other “atrocities” in Ukraine

The Prime Minister’s official spokesman said: “China has spoken previously about the importance of respecting sovereignty and territorial integrity in Ukraine.

“We would like to see President Xi advocate for this point when he speaks to Putin.

“This war and its assault on Ukraine’s sovereignty could end today if Russia withdrew its troops from Ukraine.

“So we hope President Xi uses this opportunity to press President Putin to cease bombing Ukrainian cities, hospitals, schools, and to halt some of these atrocities that we are seeing on a daily basis.”

Broader talks involving officials from both countries on a range of subjects are scheduled for Tuesday, according to Peskov.

For Putin, Xi’s presence at the Kremlin is a prestige visit and a diplomatic triumph, allowing him to tell Western leaders allied with Ukraine their efforts to isolate him have fallen short.

In an article published in the Chinese People’s Daily newspaper, Putin described Xi’s visit as a “landmark event” that “reaffirms the special nature of the Russia-China partnership.”

Putin also specifically mentioned the meeting sent a message to Washington that the two countries aren't prepared to accept attempts to weaken them.

“The US policy of simultaneously deterring Russia and China, as well as all those who do not bend to the American diktat, is getting ever fiercer and more aggressive,” Putin wrote.

President Xi Jinping's trip comes after the International Criminal Court in The Hague announced it wants to put Putin on trial for the abductions of thousands of children from Ukraine.

China is portraying Xi’s visit as part of normal diplomatic exchanges and has offered little detail about what the trip aims to accomplish, though the nearly thirteen months of war in Ukraine cast a long shadow on the talks.

At a daily briefing in Beijing on Monday, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said Xi’s trip was a “journey of friendship, cooperation and peace.”

On the war, Wang said: “China will uphold its objective and fair position on the Ukrainian crisis and play a constructive role in promoting peace talks.”

Beijing’s leap into Ukraine issues follows its recent success in brokering talks between Iran and its chief Middle Eastern rival, Saudi Arabia, which agreed to restore their diplomatic ties after years of tensions.

Flushed with that success, Xi called for China to play a bigger role in managing global affairs.

“President Xi will have an in-depth exchange of views with President Putin on bilateral relations and major international and regional issues of common concern,” Wang said.

He added Xi aims to “promote strategic coordination and practical cooperation between the two countries and inject new impetus into the development of bilateral relations.”

China last month called for a cease-fire and peace talks between Kyiv and Moscow. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy cautiously welcomed Beijing’s involvement, but the overture fizzled.

The Kremlin has welcomed China’s peace plan and said it would be discussed in talks between Putin and Xi that will begin over dinner.

Washington strongly rejected Beijing’s call for a cease-fire as the effective ratification of the Kremlin’s battlefield gains.

Kyiv officials say they won’t bend in their terms for a peace accord.

“The first and main point is the capitulation or withdrawal of the Russian occupation troops from the territory of Ukraine in accordance with the norms of international law and the UN Charter,” Oleksiy Danilov, the secretary of Ukraine’s National Security and Defence Council, tweeted on Monday.

That means restoring “sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity,” he wrote.

The Kremlin has said it doesn't recognise the authority of the the International Criminal Court and has rejected its move against Putin as “legally null and void.”

China, the United States and Ukraine do not recognise the ICC, either, but the court's announcement has further tarnished Putin's international standing.

China’s foreign ministry called on the ICC to “respect the jurisdictional immunity” of a head of state and “avoid politicisation and double standards.”

Dmitry Medvedev, deputy head of Russia’s Security Council, added the International Criminal Court’s move to issue an arrest warrant for Putin will have “monstrous consequences” for international law.

“A gloomy sunset of the entire system of international relations is coming, trust is exhausted,” Medvedev wrote on his messaging app channel.

He argued in the past the ICC has destroyed its credibility by failing to prosecute the purported US war crimes in Afghanistan and Iraq.

He also cautioned the court in The Hague could be a target for a Russian missile strike.

Medvedev has in the past made bombastic statements and claims.

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