Xi and Putin meeting updates: U.S. condemns the meeting as the leaders discuss peace proposal for

This combination photo shows Russian President Vladimir Putin, left, in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, on Sept. 16, 2022, and China’s President Xi Jinping in Beijing on Dec. 2, 2019. China says Xi will visit Russia from Monday, March 20, 2023, to Wednesday in an apparent show of support for Putin.
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Following his surprise visit to the Russian-occupied Ukrainian city of Mariupol, Russian President Vladimir Putin met with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Moscow on Monday.

The two leaders will have another round of talks Tuesday afternoon.

Putin and Xi discuss peace proposal for Ukraine as Japan’s Kishida visits Ukraine

On Monday, Xi and Putin discussed China’s proposal for an eventual ceasefire in Ukraine, Reuters reported.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said more details on the discussion would be released Tuesday, stating “There was a very thorough exchange of views, a serious conversation.”

Meanwhile, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida made a surprise visit to Ukraine, coinciding with Xi Jinping’s visit to Russia.

The Japanese Foreign Ministry said that during his trip to Ukraine, Kishida will “show respect to the courage and patience of the Ukrainian people who are standing up to defend their homeland under President Zelenskyy’s leadership, and show solidarity and unwavering support for Ukraine as head of Japan and chairman of G-7,” according to The Associated Press.

U.S. condemns Xi-Putin meeting

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken condemned the meeting between Xi and Putin Monday, calling it a “diplomatic cover” for Russia’s crimes against Ukraine, CNN 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.

Xi Jinping arrives in Moscow

On Monday, Xi arrived in Moscow for a three-day visit in which he will meet with Putin. The two are expected to discuss the war with Ukraine, as well as a “no-limits friendship” between China and Russia, The Associated Press reported.

What to expect from the Xi-Putin meeting

Xi and Putin will have dinner Monday and official meetings on Tuesday, the Deseret News previously reported.

The visit between the two leaders could be seen as an endorsement by China of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, according to CNN.

In a statement released on Monday, Xi said, “In the face of a turbulent and changing world, China is willing to continue to work with Russia to firmly safeguard the international order,” CNN reported.

The two countries will “jointly adopt a new vision, a new blueprint and new measures for the growth of China-Russia comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination in the years to come,” Xi continued.

Meanwhile, Putin wrote that the visit is a message to the United States that U.S. policies would not weaken Russia or China, according to the AP.

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“The U.S. 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 said.

Putin’s surprise visit to Mariupol

The Xi-Putin meeting follows the Russian leader’s surprise visit to Mariupol this last weekend.

Putin flew to the Russian-occupied Ukrainian city Saturday, where he toured the city by night, talking to residents.

This was Putin’s first visit to the area since the Russian occupation of the city began over 10 months ago, BBC News reported.

This story will be updated.