Putin on Tuesday backed the Chinese leader’s proposal for a “peaceful settlement in Ukraine,” in a show of unity at the Kremlin that raised the prospect of a strengthened anti-Western bulwark at the international level. But those overtures have been roundly ignored as a serious framework for peace. China’s plan – whichcalls for a ceasefire and talks, but includes no provision that Moscow withdraw its troops from Ukrainian land – was drawn up without any involvement from Kyiv.
The US meanwhile, warned on Monday that Xi’s visit provided “diplomatic cover” for Russia’s war. And there was little indication that Tuesday’s display of closeness at the Kremlin had done anything to impact the state of the war in Ukraine, where Putin’s ground offensive remains bogged down in slow-moving trench warfare.
