Compliments from both sides, smiles, mutual support in the internal affairs of their countries, willingness to talk about the Ukrainian language and a rich dinner.

Chinese President Xi Jinping’s much-anticipated three-day visit to Russia kicked off this afternoon with an informal meeting with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, with the two leaders seeing it as an opportunity to build an anti-Western front.

The two men called each other “my dear friend” at their meeting in the Kremlin this afternoon before a dinner, to be followed by formal talks on Tuesday with the expected signing of agreements to deepen Russian-Chinese cooperation.

Xi’s visit is a bid by Beijing to deepen economic ties with an ally it sees as a useful counterweight to the West, but also to promote Beijing’s role as a potential peacemaker in the war in Ukraine.

Regarding the latter, Putin indicated to Xi that he views China’s proposals for resolving the conflict in Ukraine with respect, saying he is ready to discuss Beijing’s proposed peace plan to resolve the war in Ukraine.

China in late February presented a 12-point document on resolving the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, calling on Moscow and Kiev to “cease hostilities” and hold peace talks.

“We are always open to a negotiation process. We will undoubtedly discuss all these issues, including your initiatives, which we treat with respect,” he stressed.

Xi became the first head of state to meet the Russian president after the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued an arrest warrant against him on Friday for deporting Ukrainians to Russia during Russia’s 13-month invasion of Ukraine.

Russia is presenting Xi’s trip, his first since securing an unprecedented third term this month, as proof that he has a powerful ally in his standoff with a hostile West.

The Russian president assured his Chinese counterpart that Moscow and Beijing have “many tasks and many common goals” during this informal meeting in the Kremlin.

“We have many common tasks and goals,” Putin said, hailing Beijing as paying “great attention to the development of relations between Russia and China.”

“China has created a very effective system to develop the economy and strengthen the state. It’s much more efficient than many other countries,” he said, saying he was “a little jealous” of China’s rapid growth in recent decades.

Xi praised the “close relations” between Moscow and Beijing, saying “we are partners in global strategic cooperation. It is this regime that determines that there should be close relations between our countries,” he said at the start of this informal meeting, according to a translation of his remarks broadcast live on Russian television.

Meanwhile, the Chinese president told Putin he is confident Russians will back him in Russia’s 2024 presidential election, even though the Kremlin leader has yet to announce whether he will seek another term.

Putin, who came to power on the last day of 1999 when Boris Yeltsin resigned, is the Kremlin’s longest-serving leader since Joseph Stalin.

“I know that Russia will hold a presidential election,” Xi told Putin, speaking in Mandarin.

“Under your strong leadership, Russia has made great strides in its prosperous development. I am confident that the Russian people will continue to give you their unwavering support.”

As Xi’s remarks were translated into Russian, Putin looked into Xi’s eyes and smiled briefly.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov immediately pointed out that Xi had not said Putin would run in next year’s election, but added that the Kremlin welcomed Xi’s confidence in Russian support for Putin.

According to the program, today’s one-on-one talks between Xi and Putin will be followed by dinner. The menu includes blini (Russian pancake) with quail and mushrooms, sterling fish soup, pomegranate sorbet, nelma – arctic fish – with vegetables, venison with cherry sauce, pavlova and wines from the southern Krasnodar region of Russia.

“Friendship Trip”

China-Russia “borderless” cooperation has come under greater scrutiny, with the US concerned that Beijing may consider supplying weapons to Moscow. Beijing denies this and has also disputed the West’s assessment that China is fomenting the war in Ukraine.

Despite its privileged relations with Moscow in full tension with the West, Beijing, which claims diplomatic clout to match the weight of the Chinese economy, is being cast as a proxy for the war in Ukraine.

China, emboldened by its role in the recent restoration of relations between Saudi Arabia and Iran, may be promoting its plan for Ukraine, but it is having trouble convincing Western countries.

But London said today it “hopes” Xi will pressure Putin to “end the atrocities” in Ukraine.

Kiev, which welcomed the Chinese peace plan, today urged the Chinese president to “use his influence in Moscow to end the war of aggression”.

According to the American newspaper Wall Street Journal, Xi may have a telephone conversation with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky once the Chinese president returns to China.

In an article published in a Russian newspaper, Xi Jinping described his trip as a “journey of friendship, cooperation and peace.” In an article published in a Chinese newspaper, Putin said that Russian-Chinese relations “have reached the highest point in their history.”

Isolated in Europe and now under the ICC’s arrest warrant, Putin can once again count on Beijing’s support.

Chinese diplomacy today called on the ICC to avoid any “politicization” and to respect the immunity of heads of state.

Moscow, for its part, reacted by announcing today a criminal investigation against ICC judges.

In a show of defiance, Putin traveled over the weekend to Mariupol, a Ukrainian city devastated by Russian bombing.

Beyond diplomatic support for Russia, which has massively redirected its economy toward China in the face of Western sanctions imposed on Moscow over its invasion of Ukraine, Xi’s visit is also of economic importance.

Russia has notably increased its hydrocarbon exports to Asian giants such as China to offset European embargoes. That makes it increasingly dependent on Beijing, analysts say.

According to the Kremlin, Putin and Xi will sign several agreements, including Russian-Chinese economic cooperation until 2030.