Chinese President Xi Jinping claimed on May 16 that he and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin both agree that a "political solution" to the war in Ukraine is "the correct direction."
Speaking on May 16 at a press conference during Putin's two-day visit to China, the pair put on a united front and cast themselves as partners opposed to a Western, U.S.-led world order.
"Together, we are defending the principles of justice and a democratic world order reflecting multipolar realities and based on international law," Putin said.
Speaking of Russia's full-scale invasion, both leaders referred to the war only as a "crisis."
"Both sides agree that a political solution to the Ukraine crisis is the correct direction," Xi said.
Russia launched its all-out war of aggression in 2022, occupies a significant portion of Ukraine's territory, and carries out attacks against the Ukrainian population centers and infrastructure on a daily basis.
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Putin arrived in Beijing earlier on May 16 for a two-day visit. Prior to his trip, he gave an interview to the Chinese state outlet Xinhua in which he praised the "unprecedented level of strategic partnership" between the two countries.
The visit is Putin's first official travel abroad since his inauguration for the fifth presidential term, secured in the March election broadly seen as rigged.
Xi and Putin plan to discuss a range of issues regarding their bilateral partnership and strategic interaction and identify key areas for future cooperation, the Kremlin said on May 15.
Putin will also meet Chinese Premier Li Qiang and visit the city of Harbin to take part in the opening ceremony of the eighth Russian-Chinese EXPO and the fourth Russian-Chinese Forum on Interregional Cooperation.
In the interview with Xinhua, the Kremlin's chief praised China's "active efforts to find a political solution" to the ongoing Russo-Ukrainian war and claimed that Moscow is seeking a "settlement of this conflict through peaceful means."
