Russia's war on Ukraine latest: Xi visits Putin
Reuters
Published Mar 20, 2023 21:00
Updated Mar 20, 2023 23:54
(Reuters) - March 20 (Reuters) - Chinese President Xi Jinping was in Moscow on Monday where he was expected to press Beijing's role as a potential peacemaker in the Ukraine conflict while Russian President Vladimir Putin hoped for support against Western pressure.
RUSSIA-CHINA
* Xi will be the first world leader to shake Putin's hand since the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued an arrest warrant for the Russian leader on Friday over the deportation of Ukrainian children to Russia since the start of the war.
* Xi said China's proposal to end the Ukraine crisis reflects global views and seeks to neutralise consequences, but he acknowledged that the solutions are not easy.
* Putin said he had high hopes for the visit by his "good old friend" Xi.
* Ukraine urged China to use its influence to end the war.
* China's proposal contains only general statements and no concrete detail on how to end the year-long conflict which has claimed tens of thousands of lives and forced millions to flee.
* The United States and its Western allies are deeply sceptical of China's motives, noting it has declined to condemn Russia and provided it with an economic lifeline.
* After U.S. sources said Chinese ammunition was being used by Russian forces, Beijing countered that it was the United States, not the Chinese, supplying arms to the Ukraine battlefield.
DIPLOMACY
* Russia's Investigative Committee said it had opened a counter-case against the ICC prosecutor and judges, arguing there were no grounds for criminal liability on Putin's part and heads of state enjoyed immunity.
* Justice ministers from around the world were gathering in London to discuss scaling up support for the ICC.
* The European Union is seeking a deal on the joint procurement of ammunition for Ukraine at a meeting of the bloc's foreign and defence ministers in Brussels.
* Putin's administration has told officials to stop using Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) iPhones because of concerns the devices are vulnerable to Western intelligence agencies. "Either throw it away or give it to the children," the Kommersant newspaper quoted a participant of the meeting as saying.
FIGHTING
* Fierce fighting continued in the eastern town of Bakhmut with each side launching counter offensives. Ukrainian forces have held out in Bakhmut since last summer in the longest and bloodiest battle of the year-long war.
* Russia's Wagner mercenary group, which is spearheading the assault on Bakhmut and has suffered heavy losses, plans to recruit some 30,000 new fighters by mid-May.
GRAIN
* Putin said Russia would provide grain to African countries for free if the Black Sea grain deal, allowing Ukrainian exports, is not extended in May.
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Written By: Reuters
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