A rift is growing between Xi and Putin after Russia mocked a Ukraine peace plan backed by China

Wed, 08/09/2023 - 07:32

Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin sitting at a conference table with Russian flags in the background. — Russian President Vladimir Putin and China's leader Xi Jinping deliver a joint statement following their talks at the Kremlin in Moscow in March.
MIKHAIL TERESHCHENKO/SPUTNIK/AFP via Getty Images

Xi is frustrated that Putin won't seek peace in Ukraine, reports say.
China has touted a 12-point peace plan for Ukraine that Russia hasn't pursued.
China recently attended a peace summit in Saudi Arabia that was described by Russia as "doomed to fail."

China's leader, Xi Jinping, has been Russian President Vladimir Putin's most important international backer amid the war in Ukraine, with the authoritarian leaders declaring a "no limits" partnership from the outset of the conflict.