STORY: :: Putin tells China's Xi he is grateful for Beijing's efforts to try to solve the Ukraine crisis
::Beijing, China
::May 16, 2024
::Vladimir Putin, Russian President:
"I will of course inform the President of China on the situation around the Ukrainian crisis. We are grateful to Chinese friends and colleagues for the initiatives they put forward to solve this problem."
::Xi Jinping, Chinese President:
"...We both agreed that a political settlement of the Ukrainian crisis is the right direction."
Putin arrived early on Thursday for a two-day state visit including detailed talks on Ukraine, Asia, energy and trade with Xi, his most powerful political backer and fellow geopolitical rival of the United States.
The two leaders also oversaw the signing of several bilateral agreements in sectors such as trade and infrastructure.
China and Russia declared a "no limits" partnership in February 2022 when Putin visited Beijing just days before he sent tens of thousands of troops into Ukraine, triggering the deadliest land war in Europe since World War Two.
