The key moment of Russian President Vladimir Putin's visit to China at the weekend will be the coordination of Moscow and Beijing's positions on the war in Ukraine, against the backdrop of Washington's efforts to stop hostilities, writes The Guardian.
Journalists of the newspaper recall that the Russian president's visit to his most important ally will begin at the end of this week, which, as the Kremlin said, will take place at a crucial moment in the negotiations on Ukraine.
During his almost week-long visit, Putin will attend the summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, hold talks with his Chinese counterpart, and attend the military parade in Beijing dedicated to the 80th anniversary of the victory over Japan in World War II. At the latter event, Putin will be the chief guest alongside Kim Jong-un and the leaders of Iran and Cuba.
Analysts believe that a key issue in the negotiations between Putin and Xi Jinping will be the coordination of their positions regarding the war in Ukraine.
“This is an important moment for them - to talk and decide where the war is going and how likely it is to be stopped in the near future“, said Alexander Gabuev, director of the “Carnegie Russia-Eurasia“ Center.“.
According to him, Putin would like to know whether he can expect additional assistance from China and how Beijing would react if the United States asked him to put pressure on Russia to stop the fighting.
“The two leaders need to exchange views and make sure that they are on the same page. This is important because the war has become one of the main pillars of their relationship“, Gabuev emphasizes.
During the war in Ukraine, China became an economic lifeline for Russia, so Xi Jinping and Putin will also try to resolve the issue of economic cooperation, the publication writes.
According to Gabuev, Russia wants to know whether China will buy more oil and gas from it in the long term.
The journalists assume that the talks will also touch on deepening military cooperation between Beijing and Moscow. The publication recalled that although China has refrained from providing direct military assistance to Russia, American representatives claim that Beijing has supplied it with about 70% of the machine tools and 90% of the semiconductors needed to rebuild a military machine. In return, China is believed to be receiving assistance in sensitive defense technologies.
The article also notes that there will be no shortage of symbolism during the Russian president's visit. Putin is expected to sit next to the Chinese president during a military parade in Beijing on September 3. Similarly, during the Victory Day celebrations on May 9 in Moscow, where the Chinese leader took the place of honor next to Putin as Chinese troops marched through Red Square alongside Russian ones.