This week, Vladimir Putin welcomed China's proposed plan to bring peace to the war-torn region of Ukraine during a joint press conference with Chinese president Xi Jinping in Moscow. Putin said Beijing's peace plan "correlates to the point of view of the Russian Federation", but Antony Blinken, US secretary of state, has voiced skepticism and warned that this could simply be a "stalling tactic" to aid Russian troops in the area.

China's plan includes calls to respect all countries' territorial sovereignty and also to put an end to economic sanctions. Importantly, it does not suggest Russia withdraw its forces. Kyiv, on the other hand, says any talks will be contingent on the full restoration of Ukraine's territory.

Xi Jinping is positioning himself as a global peacemaker and claims to have an "objective" and "impartial" view of the conflict. He was also