Russian President Vladimir Putin said today that he welcomes less warmongering, as he characterized it, the West’s stance on Ukraine and agrees with the statements about the need to resolve the conflict through negotiations.

Speaking after talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping, Putin told a news conference that in order for such talks to take place, Ukraine needs to repeal the decree prohibiting any negotiations with Moscow.

As reported by Russian news agencies, Putin, during his talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping today, discussed Ukraine and the conflict in the Middle East. Putin said that joint threats will strengthen cooperation between China and Russia. Russia and China plan to sign a coordination plan with a horizon of 2030 at a meeting in Bishkek, Putin said, according to the agencies.

At the same time, Putin stated during the televised press conference from Beijing that US ATACMS long-range missile deployments in Ukraine ‘wrong’ that will create additional threats to Russian forces, but that will not significantly change the situation at the front.