Chinese President Xi Jinping kicked off his three-day state visit to Russia Monday by shaking hands and meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, with both leaders calling the other "dear friend."
The meeting in Moscow marked Xi’s first international trip this year and comes just days after the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for Putin, citing his alleged involvement in the abduction of Ukrainian children.
At the beginning of the sit-down, Putin congratulated Xi on his recent re-election and hailed China’s proposed 12-point peace plan for ending the bloody war in Ukraine.
"We will discuss all those issues, including your initiative that we highly respect," Putin said, according to The Associated Press. "Our cooperation in the international arena undoubtedly helps strengthen the basic principles of the global order and multipolarity."
PUTIN RIPS WEST AS TRYING TO STIFLE RUSSIA, CHINA’S ‘DEVELOPMENT,’ WHILE XI ARRIVES IN MOSCOW
"China has made a colossal leap ahead in its development in recent years," Putin also said, adding that "it’s causing genuine interest all around the world, and we even feel a bit envious," as Xi smiled.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that over dinner, Putin and Xi will likely include a "detailed explanation" of Moscow's actions in Ukraine. Broader talks involving officials from both countries on a range of subjects are scheduled for Tuesday, he added.
"We hope that the strategic partnership between China and Russia will on the one hand uphold international fairness and justice, and on the other hand promote the common prosperity and development of our countries," Xi was quoted by the AP as saying Monday.
In an article written by Putin and published last night in the China Communist Party’s People’s Daily newspaper, he described Xi’s visit as a "landmark event."
Putin also alleged the Western world is conspiring to stifle Russia and China by "persistently working to split the common Eurasian space into a network of ‘exclusive clubs’ and military blocs that would serve to contain our countries’ development."
"This won’t work," he said, according to The Wall Street Journal.
The ICC, in their arrest warrant issued Friday for Putin, said there are "reasonable grounds" to believe he "bears responsibility for the war crime of unlawful deportation of population and that of unlawful transfer of population from occupied areas of Ukraine to the Russian Federation, in prejudice of Ukrainian children."
But Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokeswoman Maria Zakharova brushed off the arrest warrant, saying, "The decisions of the International Criminal Court have no meaning for our country, including from a legal point of view."
Fox News’ Timothy H.J. Nerozzi and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
