Key takeaways from Xi Jinping, Vladimir Putin meetings

The three-day meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping ended Wednesday.

The two leaders discussed peace plans for ending the war in Ukraine and committed to “further deepen military mutual trust” between Russia and China, CNN reported.

Here are the key takeaways from the Xi-Putin talks:

China’s peace plan for Ukraine is a nonstarter

Putin supported China’s peace proposal that calls for a ceasefire and negotiations between Ukraine and Russia.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said that China had “no selfish motives on the Ukraine issue, has not stood idly by ... or taken the opportunity to profit itself,” per The Associated Press.

China will “continue to play a constructive role in promoting a political settlement of the Ukrainian issue,” Wang stated.

China’s 12-point peace plan, however, has been criticized by Ukraine and the West because it does not include a Russian withdrawal from occupied Ukrainian land, according to CNN.

Xi and Putin agree to economic cooperation and ‘military mutual trust’

In a joint statement, Xi and Putin agreed that Russia and China “will build a closer energy partnership, supporting companies from both countries in advancing cooperation projects in oil, gas, coal, electricity and nuclear energy,” CNN reported.

The two agreed on “expanding bilateral trade, cooperating in energy and food security and developing rail and other cross-border logistics infrastructure,” according to CNBC.

According to the joint statement from Xi and Putin, the two also agreed to “further deepen military mutual trust” between the two countries.

U.S. calls Xi-Putin meeting a ‘diplomatic cover’

On Monday, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke out against the meeting between between Xi and Putin, calling it a “diplomatic cover” for Russia’s crimes against Ukraine, the Deseret News previously reported.

“That President Xi is traveling to Russia days after the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for President Putin suggests that China feels no responsibility to hold the Kremlin accountable for the atrocities committed in Ukraine, and instead of even condemning them, it would rather provide diplomatic cover for Russia to continue to commit those very crimes,” Blinken stated in a news conference per CNN.