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China's Xi Jinping arrived in Moscow on March 20, marking his first visit to Russia since the invasion of Ukraine. (Video: Russia 24)

Xi and Putin end initial meeting in Moscow, affirm ties amid Ukraine war

Updated March 21, 2023 at 4:50 a.m. EDT|Published March 20, 2023 at 1:59 a.m. EDT
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Chinese leader Xi Jinping arrived in Moscow on Monday for three days of talks, in the strongest show yet of support for Russia, and his first visit there, since its invasion of Ukraine last year. Beijing has billed the state visit as a peace mission, which comes as a welcome show of solidarity for an increasingly isolated Moscow. Xi and Russian President Vladimir Putin are styling themselves as the leaders of a new world order — and their alignment is based largely on shared opposition to U.S. power.   
Key updates

Here’s what else to know

  • Chinese officials have remained tight-lipped on whether Xi will also speak to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky while on this week’s state visit, but Ukrainian officials have been signaling their willingness for such talks. “We expect Beijing to use its influence on Moscow to make it put an end to the aggressive war against Ukraine,” Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesman Oleg Nikolenko told The Washington Post.
  • China has not formally endorsed Russia’s invasion but has stopped far short of condemning its aggression against Ukraine. In an article published in a Russian newspaper ahead of the visit, Xi said Beijing has “always taken an objective and impartial position” on the conflict.
  • Secretary of State Antony Blinken said at a news conference in Washington that Xi’s visit indicated an unwillingness to hold Russia to account for atrocities committed in Ukraine.
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Chinese officials have remained tight-lipped on whether Xi will also speak to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky while on this week’s state visit, but Ukrainian officials have been signaling their willingness for such talks. “We expect Beijing to use its influence on Moscow to make it put an end to the aggressive war against Ukraine,” Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesman Oleg Nikolenko told The Washington Post.
China has not formally endorsed Russia’s invasion but has stopped far short of condemning its aggression against Ukraine. In an article published in a Russian newspaper ahead of the visit, Xi said Beijing has “always taken an objective and impartial position” on the conflict.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken said at a news conference in Washington that Xi’s visit indicated an unwillingness to hold Russia to account for atrocities committed in Ukraine.

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One year of Russia’s war in Ukraine

Portraits of Ukraine: Every Ukrainian’s life has changed since Russia launched its full-scale invasion one year ago — in ways both big and small. They have learned to survive and support each other under extreme circumstances, in bomb shelters and hospitals, destroyed apartment complexes and ruined marketplaces. Scroll through portraits of Ukrainians reflecting on a year of loss, resilience and fear.

Battle of attrition: Over the past year, the war has morphed from a multi-front invasion that included Kyiv in the north to a conflict of attrition largely concentrated along an expanse of territory in the east and south. Follow the 600-mile front line between Ukrainian and Russian forces and take a look at where the fighting has been concentrated.

A year of living apart: Russia’s invasion, coupled with Ukraine’s martial law preventing fighting-age men from leaving the country, has forced agonizing decisions for millions of Ukrainian families about how to balance safety, duty and love, with once-intertwined lives having become unrecognizable. Here’s what a train station full of goodbyes looked like last year.

Deepening global divides: President Biden has trumpeted the reinvigorated Western alliance forged during the war as a “global coalition,” but a closer look suggests the world is far from united on issues raised by the Ukraine war. Evidence abounds that the effort to isolate Putin has failed and that sanctions haven’t stopped Russia, thanks to its oil and gas exports.

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