Biden and Xi Discussed Russia's War Against Ukraine

During direct talks in the United States, U.S. President Joe Biden and Chinese leader Xi Jinping discussed the issue of Russia's war against Ukraine and the conflict in Gaza. 

Joe Biden announced this at a press conference after the meeting with the Chinese leader.

"President Xi and I also exchanged views on a range of regional and global issues, including Russia's refusal to stop the brutal war of aggression against Ukraine and the conflict in Gaza," he said.

However, on the official White House website, it is stated that during the meeting with Xi, Biden emphasized that the United States, together with allies, will continue to support and defend Ukraine against Russian aggressors to "ensure Ukraine emerges from this war as a democratic, independent, sovereign, and prosperous nation that can deter and defend itself against future aggression."

Moreover, according to the White House, during the meeting, human rights violations and the Taiwan issue were also raised.

"As always, I raised topics where the United States is concerned about the actions of China, including the issue of American citizens who are wrongfully detained or subject to exit bans in China, human rights, and events in the South China Sea. We discussed all three of those things," Biden said.

At the same time, the U.S. and Chinese leaders agreed to restore military communications between the two countries and consolidate efforts to limit the production of fentanyl, a synthetic drug that causes the deaths of thousands of Americans every year.

"I just finished a day of meetings with President Xi, and I believe these were some of the most constructive and productive discussions we've had. We built on groundwork laid over the past several months of diplomacy between our countries and made important progress," wrote the U.S. President Joe Biden in his tweet.

The conversation lasted over four hours and became the first meeting of the two leaders since the G20 summit in Indonesia, held in November of last year. At the same time, Xi visited the U.S. for the first time since 2017.

It is worth noting that, according to updated data from the Atlantic Council, China appears to have increased imports of goods with military significance, playing a key role in Russia's ability to maintain its military positions and continue its aggressive war on Ukrainian territory.

Recall that in October, Russian dictator Putin visited Beijing, where he discussed further deepening of cooperation with his counterpart, Xi Jinping.