Chinese president Xi Jinping demanded a written explanation from Russian tyrant Vladimir Putin on how and when he intends to end the war with Ukraine, it has been claimed.
And in an extraordinary development, it is also claimed that ex-Russian president Dmitry Medvedev was dispatched to Beijing “as a postman” to deliver the letter.
Medvedev, deputy head of the Russian security council, has been seldom deployed by Putin in recent years and lately has been portrayed as a “court clown” in the Kremlin for his extreme anti-Western social media posts.
Yet if true, it could indicate that Putin is facing stronger pressure than previously thought from China to end the war.
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Xi “demanded from Putin a detailed plan with dates, where the Russian president was to write how and when he was going to end the war”, according to Telegram channel General SVR
It further claimed – without giving sources – that “only if there were such written explanations or, if you like, promises, the Chinese leader was ready to agree to telephone conversations with Putin and discuss the possibility of a visit to Russia next year”.
“How much the letter of the Russian president convinced Xi Jinping will be clear from whether the leaders of the two countries will have telephone conversations in the near future or not.”
Official Chinese accounts of the meeting stressed that Medvedev had handed Xi a letter that “conveyed his friendly greetings and good wishes” to the Chinese leader.
On Ukraine, Xi emphasised that Beijing “has always decided its own position and policy based on the merits of the matter itself”, said China Daily.
China “takes an objective and fair position on the issue – and has made active efforts to facilitate peace talks”, said the official newspaper
Xi “expressed his hope that the parties concerned will show rationality and restraint, start a comprehensive dialogue and address each other’s security concerns through political means”.
Medvedev claimed the war happened due to complex factors, which he did not explain.
Meanwhile Russia has accused Ukraine and the United States of turning a deaf ear to its concerns after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky made a historic visit to Washington.
Zelensky enjoyed a hero’s welcome on a lightning trip on Wednesday in which US President Joe Biden committed nearly $1.8 billion in military supplies including, for the first time, the Patriot missile defence system.
“We can say with regret that so far neither President Biden nor President Zelensky have said even a few words that could be perceived as potential readiness to listen to Russia’s concerns,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.
Officials in Moscow over recent months have repeatedly said they have not ruled out talks with Ukraine.
They have blamed the closure of diplomatic channels on Zelensky, who has said he will not negotiate while President Vladimir Putin is in power.
“Not a single word was heard warning Zelensky against the continued shelling of residential buildings in towns and villages in Donbas and there were no real calls for peace,” Peskov said.
“This suggests that the United States is continuing its line of de facto fighting an indirect war with Russia to the last Ukrainian,” he added.
Zelensky’s snap visit came hours after Putin said Moscow would next year continue developing its military potential and the combat readiness of its nuclear forces.
The Russian leader described the conflict in Ukraine as a “shared tragedy” but placed blame for the outbreak of hostilities on Ukraine and its allies, not Moscow.
