Chinese President Xi Jinping and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in Moscow, Russia, on June 5, 2019. Photo: Sputnik

Chinese President Xi Jinping arrived in Moscow on Monday, where he was expected to stress Beijing's role as a potential peacemaker in the Ukraine conflict, while Russian President Vladimir Putin hoped for support against Western pressure.

Xi will be the first global leader to meet President Putin since the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued an arrest warrant for him on Friday for the alleged deportation of Ukrainian children to Russia since the outbreak of hostilities a year ago.

Moscow said the accusation was one of several "clearly hostile manifestations," while Beijing said it reflected double standards.

Both presidents held an informal meeting.

At the beginning of his speech, Putin praised the economic and political system of the Asian country.

“China has established a very effective system of economic and state development.

It is much more efficient than in other countries,” he stated.

According to the Russian president, China follows "the principles of justice and the fundamental principles of international law."

saying the document will be discussed during Xi's visit.

"Russia is always open to the talks process and respects the Chinese plan on Ukraine," he stressed.

For his part, the president of the Asian giant referred to Putin as a "dear friend", stating that "it is a pleasure" to visit the Eurasian country again and stressing that he specifically chose Russia for his first state visit after being re-elected for a third term on March 10.

Xi assured that Beijing pays a lot of attention to the development of relations between the two countries, since it has its own "historical logic".

He stressed that China and Russia are the largest neighboring countries, as well as "partners in comprehensive strategic cooperation", which means that there must be "a close relationship" between the two nations.

"You always treat us positively, support us, we are sorry, we are grateful to you," said the Chinese president, adding that both countries have "many of the same or similar goals in future aspirations."

According to Xi, Russia has made significant achievements in recent years.

He stressed that within the framework of their international strategic cooperation, Beijing and Moscow "must, on the one hand, achieve the goal of guaranteeing justice and equality in the world, and on the other, they must achieve the development of prosperity" on both sides. during the process.

(With information from RT in Spanish and TeleSur)

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Xi Jinping will visit Russia to boost bilateral relations