US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said China is providing Russia with "diplomatic cover" so it can continue to commit war crimes. According to The New York Times, this is how Blinken commented on the visit of Chinese President Xi Jinping to Moscow just a few days after the ICC issued an arrest warrant for Vladimir Putin.
According to the Secretary of State, this visit shows that "China does not consider itself obliged to hold the president accountable for the atrocities committed in Ukraine."
Blinken, who made these statements during a briefing in Washington on March 20, also criticized Beijing's peace proposals. According to him, calls for a ceasefire that do not include a demand for the complete withdrawal of troops from Ukrainian territory "would in fact mean the ratification of Russian gains."
“A fundamental element of any plan to end the war in Ukraine and establish a just and lasting peace must be the protection of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine,” Blinken said .
Xi Jinping arrived in Moscow on March 20 for a three-day visit and had an informal meeting with Putin on the first day. On March 21, the Chinese leader met with Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin. The Chinese President announced that he invited Putin and Mishustin to come to China this year.
