Putin’s Visit to China Addresses Economic, Trade, and Geopolitical Issues amid Ongoing War in Ukraine

In addition to discussing the ongoing war in Ukraine, Russian President Vladimir Putin’s visit to China this week is expected to address economic and trade links, as well as geopolitical issues. During a recent interview with Chinese state-media agency Xinhua, Putin expressed support for China’s 12-point peace plan and stated that Russia is open to holding talks to resolve the conflict. However, analysts have noted that China’s proposal lacks substance, and Ukraine has stated that it will not participate in negotiations while Russian troops remain on its territory. Both Russia and China have deepened their strategic ties over recent decades, with Putin describing Western elites as a mutual enemy of Russia and China. The visit, which follows Putin’s re-election as Russia’s president for the fifth time, taking his presidency up to 2030, comes as Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, leaving it with few powerful friends left on the global stage. The United States has pledged continued support for Ukraine as a new Russian offensive rages in the northeast of the country, while U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken ended a surprise trip to Kyiv by joining a band onstage in a bar to perform a cover of Neil Young’s “Rockin’ in the Free World.” A strike on Ukraine’s Kharkiv earlier today hit a high-rise residential building in the city center, injuring at least nine people. Polish President Emmanuel Macron has also pledged military support to Ukraine, while French officials detailed deliveries for the coming days and weeks in support of the Ukrainian military effort following a call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Additionally, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk warned of a rising threat from Russia, citing its intelligence services’ efforts to destabilize European countries, particularly Poland and the Baltic states, following the defection of a judge who had access to military secrets to Russian ally Belarus. Furthermore, Polish authorities have stated that its place as a distribution hub for supplies to Ukraine has made it a key target for Moscow’s intelligence services. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk also allocated an additional 100 million zlotys ($25.30 million) to boost its intelligence services. Meanwhile, a Russian official claimed that Russian forces have control over the western and northern parts of the town of Volchansk in Ukraine’s northeast region, with street battles now taking place there, although Ukraine’s military disputed this claim, stating that the situation in Vovchansk was “under control” while conceding that it had pulled back troops to new positions near the village of Lukyantsi.