Xi Jinping to Russia for the first time since the invasion of Ukraine
03:30 | Chinese President Xi Jinping visits Russia for the first time since the Russian invasion of Ukraine. He talks with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, among other things, about the war and cooperation between the two countries. The state visit officially lasts until Wednesday.
Xi was last in Russia in mid-2019. Putin visited China early last year just before his army invaded Ukraine. He was at the opening ceremony of the Beijing Winter Olympics. The presidents have therefore entered into a partnership “without borders”. The two met again for the first time in September at a regional summit in Uzbekistan.
The leaders, according to the Kremlin, will talk about deepening the partnership and “strategic cooperation” between countries, including at an international level. They are also expected to discuss the peace plan China recently shared on ending the war in Ukraine, to which Kiev has responded negatively.
China is trying to be neutral on Ukraine, but critics say Beijing is tacitly approving of the Russian invasion. The West hopes the Chinese will use their influence to persuade Putin to end the war. At the same time, the West fears that China will supply weapons to Russia.
Situation on Sunday 19 March
Vladimir Putin He visited a command post in the southern Russian city of Rostov-on-Don on Sunday. According to Russia’s state news agency TASS, Putin held a meeting at a military command and control post in the Russian city.
THE Armed Forces of Ukraine released their latest estimate of war casualties, now claiming to have killed 164,910 Russian soldiers since the start of the war. Of these, 710 were killed in the 24 hours to Sunday morning.
A shortage of explosives hampers efforts by European countries to supply Ukraine with arms, says a report. Industry insiders told the Financial Times that there is a shortage of gunpowder, plastic explosives and TNT, which could delay a planned increase in grenade production by three years.
THE president of Serbia he attacked the decision to issue an international arrest warrant against Vladimir Putin, saying it will only prolong the war in Ukraine.