TOUCHDOWN

China’s Xi Arrives in Moscow for High-Stakes Visit With Vladimir Putin

It comes just days after an ICC arrest warrant was issued for the Russian leader.

Chinese President Xi Jinping arrived in Moscow on Monday for a three-day visit with Russian leader Vladimir Putin. The visit comes just days after the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for Putin’s arrest over alleged war crimes. Analysts expect Putin to use the visit to show Western leaders that they have failed in their attempts to isolate Russia on the world stage since the beginning of the invasion of Ukraine. At a press conference Monday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin rebuffed questions about Russian forces using Chinese ammunition in Ukraine by pointing out that the U.S. was supplying weapons to Ukraine. “The U.S. side should stop fueling the fires and fanning the flames... and play a constructive role for a political solution to the crisis in Ukraine, not the other way around,” Wang said, according to the BBC. Wang added that Xi’s visit was a “journey of friendship, cooperation, and peace,” and said that China would remain committed in “promoting peace talks” to end the war.