Xi and Putin sign agreements as Japan’s leader visits Ukraine

The visit, a show of Beijing’s support for Moscow as it struggles under Western sanctions and mounting international condemnation, is Xi’s first since the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Moscow has become increasingly dependent on Beijing to keep its economy afloat, as the war curbs its exports of oil and other commodities. On Tuesday, the countries agreed to proposals for expanding their natural gas trade and other economic ties.

Xi has invited Putin — whom Xi called his “dear friend” upon arrival for the state visit — to visit China later this year. Putin and Xi appear to be positioning themselves as leaders of a new global order opposed to U.S. power. The White House has accused Xi of providing “diplomatic cover” for Putin after the International Criminal Court issued a warrant for his arrest last week — a largely symbolic move, as Russia, like the United States, does not accept the court’s jurisdiction.

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida arrived Tuesday in Kyiv to meet with Zelensky, becoming the first postwar Japanese leader to visit an active war zone and the final leader of the Group of Seven advanced nations to make the trek to Ukraine’s capital to show support. Kishida visited Bucha, the Ukrainian town where Russian forces killed scores of civilians and buried them in mass graves. “I really feel great anger at the atrocity upon visiting that very place here,” he said in remarks, Reuters reported.