Putin acknowledges China may have questions and concerns about the war.
President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia said on Thursday that Moscow understood that China had questions and concerns about the war in Ukraine a notable, if cryptic, admission from Mr. Putin that Beijing may not fully approve of Russias invasion of Ukraine.And his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping in his first face-to-face meeting with Mr. Putin since the invasion began struck a far more subdued tone than the Russian president, and steered clear in his public comments of any mention of Ukraine at all.
Taken together, the remarks were a stark sign that Russia lacks the full backing of its most powerful international partner as it tries to recover from a humiliating rout in northeastern Ukraine last week.
The meeting was particularly important to Mr. Putin, who has become more isolated by the United States and its allies over his invasion of Ukraine.We highly appreciate the balanced position of our Chinese friends in connection with the Ukrainian crisis, Mr. Putin said in televised remarks at the start of the meeting. We understand your questions and concerns in this regard. Russias message that the war in Ukraine was the Wests fault, Mr. Xi did not repeat any of those lines in his televised comments. He carefully avoided offering any endorsement of specific Russian policies, instead offering generalities about Chinas and Russias view of the world.
The lukewarm Chinese support leaves Mr. Putin in an increasingly difficult spot as the invasion approaches the seven-month mark and he faces increasing criticism inside Russia about how he is conducting the war.Sergey Radchenko, a professor at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies, said Mr. Putin has severely undercut his leverage with China by cutting himself off from the West.He has nowhere else to turn but to China, Mr. Radchenko said. And the Chinese are best at looking after their own interests.
Taken together, the remarks were a stark sign that Russia lacks the full backing of its most powerful international partner as it tries to recover from a humiliating rout in northeastern Ukraine last week.
The meeting was particularly important to Mr. Putin, who has become more isolated by the United States and its allies over his invasion of Ukraine.We highly appreciate the balanced position of our Chinese friends in connection with the Ukrainian crisis, Mr. Putin said in televised remarks at the start of the meeting. We understand your questions and concerns in this regard. Russias message that the war in Ukraine was the Wests fault, Mr. Xi did not repeat any of those lines in his televised comments. He carefully avoided offering any endorsement of specific Russian policies, instead offering generalities about Chinas and Russias view of the world.
The lukewarm Chinese support leaves Mr. Putin in an increasingly difficult spot as the invasion approaches the seven-month mark and he faces increasing criticism inside Russia about how he is conducting the war.Sergey Radchenko, a professor at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies, said Mr. Putin has severely undercut his leverage with China by cutting himself off from the West.He has nowhere else to turn but to China, Mr. Radchenko said. And the Chinese are best at looking after their own interests.
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Xi throws Putin under the bus