Chinese President Xi Jinping and his Russian counterpart, President Vladimir Putin, will meet in Moscow to discuss Beijing's proposed peace talks regarding Ukraine and how to end the conflict.

However, despite China's willingness to broker peace negotiations between the two countries, Western leaders have shared their skepticism of Beijing being the peacemaker. In a statement, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that the Chinese president's Moscow visit shows that Beijing plans to provide "diplomatic cover" for Russia's war crimes.

Xi Jinping's Meeting with Vladimir Putin

During the meeting, Xi said that he and Putin share similar goals, adding that they have exerted efforts to seek their respective nations' prosperity. The Chinese president noted that the two countries could cooperate and work together to achieve their goals.

Xi also said that he was glad to have been given a chance to revisit Russia because it was the first country he visited after his re-election as the president of China. Furthermore, he expressed his support for his Russian counterpart to be re-elected, as per CNN.

The Chinese president also said Russia's development significantly improved under Putin's firm leadership. He added that the country's citizens would continue to support the Russian strongman in his endeavors strongly.

Xi said that his country "highly values" the relations it currently has with Russia and that the two nations can work together to fulfill their development goals. On the other hand, Putin welcomed his Chinese counterpart and noted that Beijing had made a massive leap forward in the last few years.

The Russian president said he met with Xi roughly ten years ago when the two world leaders made progress in relations. He also noted that Moscow is ready to discuss Beijing's peace proposals to end the fightin

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Support for Ukraine

The meeting between the two world leaders comes as other nations have been shoring up support for Ukraine to defend its territory from Russia's invasion. On March 20, Norway's Ministry of Defense announced that they officially sent eight Leopard 2A4 tanks to Ukraine, four armored personnel carriers, and one counter-battery radar, according to the Bulgarian Military.

Norwegian authorities said that An-124-100 M of the Antonov transport airlines transported the equipment. The country's government said that supporting Ukraine is the right thing to do. In a press release, officials said Russia should not be allowed to win the conflict, saying that the war was also crucial for Norway.

The recent developments followed when the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued an arrest warrant for Putin over alleged war crimes in Ukraine. The organization's Chief Prosecutor, Karim Khan, said that the move is a "somber" one and not to be used for backslapping, according to Al Jazeera.

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