Xi Jinping invited Russian President Vladimir Putin to visit China on Tuesday, amid the Chinese leader’s three-day trip to Moscow.
Xi reportedly invited Putin to travel to China for the third Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation later this year, according to the state-run Xinhua News Agency.
The invitation comes as Xi and Putin are set to engage in formal talks on Tuesday. Putin met with Xi after he arrived in Moscow on Monday, signaling that he was open to working with the Chinese leader to resolve Russia’s war in Ukraine.
Beijing has sought to position itself as a neutral arbiter in the conflict, releasing a 12-point peace plan and calling for a cease-fire and negotiations alongside Russian ally Belarus. However, the West has eyed China’s peace efforts with skepticism amid U.S. allegations that Beijing is considering providing Russia with weapons for its war effort.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Monday that the U.S. expects Xi to reiterate the calls for a cease-fire during his visit to Moscow and emphasized that any peace plan must include “upholding the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine, in accordance with the United Nations Charter.”
“Any plan that does not prioritize this critical principle is a stalling tactic at best or is merely seeking to facilitate an unjust outcome,” Blinken added. “That is not constructive diplomacy.”
He also slammed Xi for providing Putin with “diplomatic cover,” after the International Criminal Court issued a warrant for the Russian president’s arrest on Friday for alleged war crimes in Ukraine.