BEIJING -- Russian President Vladimir Putin says the Kremlin is prepared to negotiate over the conflict in Ukraine in an interview with Chinese media on the eve of visit to partner Beijing that has backed Moscow in its full-scale invasion of its neighbor.
鈥淲e are open to a dialogue on Ukraine, but such negotiations must take into account the interests of all countries involved in the conflict, including ours,鈥� Putin was quoted as saying by the official Xinhua News Agency on Wednesday.
The Russian leader鈥檚 two-day trip starting Thursday comes as his country鈥檚 forces have pressed an offensive in northeastern Ukraine鈥檚 Kharkiv region that began last week in the most significant border incursion since the full-scale invasion began, forcing almost 8,000 people to flee their homes.
Along with Moscow鈥檚 efforts to build on its gains in the nearby Donetsk region, the two-year-old war has entered a critical stage for Ukraine鈥檚 depleted military that is awaiting new supplies of anti-aircraft missiles and artillery shells from the United States.
鈥淲e have never refused to negotiate,鈥� Putin was quoted as saying by Xinhua. 鈥淲e are seeking a comprehensive, sustainable and just settlement of this conflict through peaceful means. We are open to a dialogue on Ukraine, but such negotiations must take into account the interests of all countries involved in the conflict, including ours.鈥�
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said any negotiations must include a restoration of Ukraine鈥檚 territorial integrity, the withdrawal of Russian troops, the release of all prisoners, a tribunal for those responsible for the aggression, and security guarantees for Ukraine.
China claims to take a neutral position in the conflict, but has backed Moscow's contentions that Russia was provoked into attacking Ukraine by the West, despite Putin's public avowals of his desire to restore Russia's century-old borders as the reason for his assault.
Putin has blamed the West for the failure of negotiations in the opening weeks of the war and praised China鈥檚 peace plan for Ukraine that would allow Moscow to cement its territorial gains.
鈥淏eijing proposes practicable and constructive steps to achieve peace by refraining from pursuing vested interests and constant escalation of tensions, minimizing the negative impact of the conflict on the global economy,鈥� he had said.
Putin said a Chinese proposal in 2023, which Ukraine and the West rejected, could 鈥渓ay the groundwork for a political and diplomatic process that would take into account Russia鈥檚 security concerns and contribute to achieving a long-term and sustainable peace.鈥�
The Kremlin said in a statement that during their talks this week, Putin and Chinese leader Xi Jinping will 鈥渉ave a detailed discussion on the entire range of issues related to the comprehensive partnership and strategic cooperation and determine the new directions for further development of cooperation between Russia and China and also have a detailed exchange of opinions on the most acute international and regional issues.鈥�
The visit furthers the effort by China and Russia to topple the U.S.-led Western democratic order in favor of a more authoritarian model that crushes political opposition, human rights and freedom of speech. Putin began a fifth term in office this month.
Speaking Tuesday in the upper house of Russian parliament, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Moscow and Beijing are 鈥渙bjectively interested in maintaining our lead in efforts to establish a more fair and democratic world order.鈥�
鈥淩ussia and China aren鈥檛 alone in their efforts to reform an international system and help establish a multipolar global order,鈥� he said.
Lavrov noted that the 鈥渄uet of Moscow and Beijing plays a major balancing role in global affairs,鈥� adding that 鈥渢he Russian president鈥檚 forthcoming visit to (China) will strengthen our joint work."
Moscow has forged increasingly close ties with Beijing as the war has dragged into a third year, diverting the bulk of its energy exports to China and relying on Chinese companies for importing high-tech components for Russian military industries to circumvent Western sanctions.
The Russia-China military ties have also strengthened. They have held a series of joint war games in recent years, including naval drills and patrols by long-range bombers over the Sea of Japan and the East China Sea. Russian and Chinese ground forces also have deployed to the other country鈥檚 territory for joint drills.
China remains a major market for Russian military, while also massively expanding its domestic defensive industries, including building aircraft carriers and nuclear submarines.
Putin has previously said that Russia has been sharing highly sensitive military technologies with China that helped significantly bolster its defense capability. In October 2019, he mentioned that Russia was helping China to develop an early warning system to spot ballistic missile launches 鈥� a system involving ground-based radar and satellites that only Russia and the U.S. possessed.
