Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Monday condemned Chinese President Xi Jinping’s decision to visit Moscow days after the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The court on Friday said Putin “is held responsible for the war crime of illegal deportation of (children) population and illegal transfer of (child) population from the territory occupied by Ukraine to the Russian Federation.”
But Blinken told reporters that Xi’s visit showed that “China feels it is irresponsible to hold the Kremlin responsible for the atrocities committed in Ukraine, and instead of punishing them, it is better to give diplomatic cover to Russia to continue committing these crimes.”
In particular, neither China, Russia nor Ukraine are under the jurisdiction of the ICC.
Biden called the arrest warrant “justified,” adding that “it makes a strong point,” while China has questioned it.
The court must “respect the jurisdictional immunity of the head of state according to international law, prudently exercise its mandate in accordance with the law, interpret and apply international law in good faith, and not engage in politicization or use double standards,” China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. said spokesman Wang Wenbin.
Xi spent three days in Russia this week – his first trip abroad since his re-election.
He met Putin Monday for talks that lasted more than four hours, when the Russian president was scheduled to give a briefing on the Ukraine war. The two sides will hold more discussions on Tuesday on a range of issues.
Xi is looking to Russia as a source of energy to support economic restarts after the lifting of COVID-19 restrictions, while Moscow sees the visit as a way to boost Putin’s profile.
Blinken said the US expects China to repeat its call for a ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine, which was part of a 12-point peace proposal announced last month. While the US supports some aspects of the plan, Blinken said, including on nuclear security, the proposal must ensure Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.
“Any plan that does not prioritize these critical principles is a stalling tactic at best or simply seeks an unfair outcome,” he said. “This is not constructive diplomacy.”
He added that a ceasefire without removing Russian forces from Ukraine would ultimately support the Kremlin’s goals.
“It will recognize Russia’s attempt to seize the neighboring sovereign territory by force,” said Blinken. “This will enable Russia to regain its position in Ukraine. And the current ceasefire, without a lasting solution, will allow President Putin to rest and regroup his forces and then start the war again at a more useful time for Russia.
The US has warned Russia could launch an attack this spring and has raced to ensure Ukraine is ready to respond.
Meanwhile, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on Tuesday traveled to Kyiv to meet with Volodymyr Zelenskyy to reaffirm his support for the country, amid Xi’s visit to Moscow.