MOSCOW, March 21. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese leader Xi Jinping exchanged their opinions regarding China’s plan on the peaceful settlement of the ongoing situation in Ukraine, Russian Presidential Spokesman Dmitry Peskov told journalists on Tuesday.
In response to a question whether the Chinese part took a notice Russia’s arguments regarding the proposed peace initiatives, he replied: "And how could it not have been noticed."
"Both heads of states explained their positions to each other, they spoke for four and a half hours and had an opportunity of explaining everything," Peskov said.
President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin jointly signed and released the Joint Statement of the People’s Republic of China and the Russian Federation on Deepening the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership of Coordination for the New Era during their meeting in Moscow on Tuesday.
The Chinese Foreign Ministry said commenting on the signed joint statement that "the Russian side welcomes China’s willingness to play a positive role for the political and diplomatic settlement of the Ukraine crisis and welcomes the constructive proposals set forth in China’s Position on the Political Settlement of the Ukraine Crisis."
"The two sides point out that to settle the Ukraine crisis, the legitimate security concerns of all countries must be respected, bloc confrontation should be prevented and fanning the flames avoided. The two sides stress that responsible dialogue is the best way for appropriate solutions," the Chinese Foreign Ministry added in its statement.
Xi Jinping is on a state visit to Russia from March 20-22.
Russia’s special military operation
On February 21, 2022, President Vladimir Putin announced that Moscow was recognizing the sovereignty of the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics, (the DPR and LPR respectively). Russia signed agreements on friendship, cooperation and mutual assistance with their leaders. Moscow recognized the Donbass republics in accordance with the DPR and LPR constitutions within the boundaries of the Donetsk and Lugansk Regions as of the beginning of 2014.
Russian President Putin announced on February 24, 2022, that in response to a request by the heads of the Donbass republics for assistance, he had decided to carry out a special military operation in Ukraine. The DPR and the LPR launched an operation to liberate their territories under Kiev’s control.
From September 23 to September 27, 2022, the Donetsk People’s Republic and the Lugansk People’s Republic as well as the Kherson Region and the Zaporozhye Region held a referendum where the majority of voters opted to join Russia.
On September 30, 2022, President Putin and the heads of the DPR, the LPR, and the Zaporozhye and Kherson Regions signed treaties on their entry to Russia. Later, the State Duma and the Federation Council (the lower and upper houses of Russia’s parliament) approved legislation on ratifying these treaties, as well as federal constitutional laws on the accession of the four regions to Russia.