Russia-Ukraine war Russian

Russian President Vladimir Putin told his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping in a virtual meeting Friday that their partnership was more important than ever in ...

At the time, Putin conceded Beijing had “questions and concerns” over the invasion, in what appeared to be a veiled admission of their diverging views. Now, more than ever, China is not in a position to risk sanctions. “Xi will try to emphasize the importance of peace to Putin,” she added. The U-turn came after an unprecedented wave of protests across the country in opposition to zero-Covid – in some cases expanding to include broader grievances against Xi and the ruling Communist Party. “Politically, domestic support for Xi has declined dramatically. But the damage is not significant enough that China will abandon Russia.” They will want to send the message that all those transcend the war in Ukraine,” said Sun. “The policy tools Xi Jinping can use to support Russia is quite limited now, it’s quite constrained,” said Wu. That shift is another reason Xi could be eager to see a swift resolution, Wu said. Many Russians face [economic hardship in a bitter winter.](https://www.cnn.com/2022/11/23/europe/russia-mood-ukraine-conflict-economy-intl-cmd/index.html) Analysts on Friday were watching for any sign that the Chinese leader’s support for his Russian counterpart had softened. “Now with domestic issues out of the way, Xi is in a better position to work on Russia,” said Stimson Center’s Sun, referring to his consolidation of power in October.

Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping hailed deepening ties between Russia and China in talks Friday, despite signs that Beijing is impatient with the wider ...