Russian President Vladimir Putin assured his Chinese counterpart, during Xi Jinping’s visit to Moscow in March, that the invasion of Ukraine would last at least five years, the Japanese newspaper Nikkei reported this Thursday.
According to Nikkei, this was Putin’s way of explaining to Xi that, at the beginning of this year, the situation was not particularly favorable for Russia on the battle fronts in Ukraine, but that he continued to believe in the victory of the forces commanded by Moscow. .
Putin’s version with the Chinese leader also highlighted the advantages for Beijing of a prolonged war in Europe, given the possibility of China becoming a trading partner in the field of arms.
The Japanese newspaper also interprets this message from the Russian leader as “a warning to Xi not to change his pro-Russian position.”
Throughout the conflict in Ukraine, Beijing has never condemned the Russian invasion, and has opposed Western sanctions on Moscow, although it has signaled that it is not comfortable with a country seeing its territorial sovereignty violated.
Xi was received at the Kremlin on March 21 and it was at that time that the Chinese leader heard from Putin an assurance that the war in Ukraine would never last less than five years.
Xi’s trip to Moscow was the Chinese president’s first after Russia began its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, and the two leaders highlighted strengthening political and trade ties between their countries, with words that highlighted tacit support from China to the Russian “special military operation.” “.
However, after Xi’s visit to Moscow, China sent a “peace mission” to Europe, in a gesture that was understood as an attempt to show the international community, and Moscow, that it would seek not to break diplomatic ties with the Occidental countries.
So far, neither the Kremlin nor Beijing have commented on the Nikkei news.
Recently, the American newspaper The New York Times reported that Putin has used intermediaries to send the message to the White House that he will be open to discussing the possibility of a ceasefire, making as a condition the maintenance of the Ukrainian territories now occupied by Moscow. . .
Several international analysts have said that if the invasion of Ukraine drags on much longer, this will have a real impact on Xi Jinping’s ambitions for his third term as president of China and as general secretary of the Chinese Communist Party, especially given his plan to unify Taiwan with mainland China.
The military offensive launched on February 24, 2022 by Russia in Ukraine caused, according to the most recent UN data, the worst refugee crisis in Europe since the Second World War (1939-1945).
The Russian invasion – justified by Russian President Vladimir Putin with the need to “denazify” and demilitarize Ukraine for Russia’s security – was condemned by most of the international community, which has responded by sending weapons to Ukraine and imposing duties on Russia. political and economic. sanctions.
Source: TSF
