Their meeting, which took place under the shadow of Russia\u2019s onslaught in Ukraine<\/a>, left no question about Beijing\u2019s commitment to developing its rapport with Moscow, despite Putin\u2019s growing isolation on the global stage as its devastating war<\/a> continues into its second year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It also failed to move the needle on bringing that conflict to resolution.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Instead, Xi\u2019s three-day visit to the Russian capital, which concluded Wednesday, was an opportunity for the two self-described \u201cfriends\u201d to showcase their close personal rapport<\/a> amid the pomp of a state visit \u2013 and lay out how they could advance a world order that counters one they see as led by Washington and its democratic allies.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The meeting culminated in more than a dozen agreements bolstering cooperation in areas from trade and technology to state propaganda, according to a Kremlin list. The leaders\u2019 central statement focused on how the two countries would \u201cdeepen\u201d their relationship.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Xi\u2019s visit was contrasted by another key diplomatic mission to the region.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Japanese Prime Minister and US ally Fumio Kishida landed in Ukraine<\/a> to sit down with Ukrainian President Vlodomyr Zelensky on Tuesday \u2013 further underlining how the conflict in Europe has also deepened divisions in Asia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Here\u2019s what you need to know about Xi and Putin\u2019s meetings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The meetings yielded no breakthrough on resolving the conflict in Ukraine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Both leaders called for the cessation of actions that \u201cincrease tensions\u201d and \u201cprolong\u201d the war in Ukraine, according to their joint statement released by China\u2019s Foreign Ministry. The statement did not acknowledge that Russia\u2019s invasion and military assault were the cause of ongoing violence and humanitarian crisis in Ukraine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The leaders also urged NATO to \u201crespect the sovereignty, security, interests,\u201d of other countries \u2013 a reference that appeared to echo long-standing rhetoric from both countries falsely blaming the Western security alliance for provoking Russia to invade.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In recent weeks, China had appeared to position itself as a peace broker, releasing its position on a\u00a0\u201cpolitical solution\u201d<\/a>\u00a0to the conflict calling for a ceasefire and peace talks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Putin said that \u201cmany of the provisions\u201d could be \u201ctaken as the basis\u201d for a peaceful settlement in Ukraine, \u201cwhen the West and Kyiv are ready for it,\u201d in comments to reporters following Tuesday talks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But the proposal has been viewed as a nonstarter in the West and Ukraine, because it includes no provision that Moscow withdraw its troops from Ukrainian land.<\/p>\n\n\n\n On Tuesday, Zelensky said a ceasefire would \u201csimply freeze\u201d the conflict, giving Russia time to \u201cprepare and come back again with their single wish, the wish of their leader – that is to occupy our country.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Experts say that China and Russia\u2019s inclination to build their alignment against the US \u2013 and a world order more suited to their own more autocratic <\/strong>agendas \u2013 was driving the meeting, not interest in resolving the conflict in Ukraine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As Xi left the Kremlin following a state dinner on Tuesday evening with Putin, his parting message reiterated his view that global power dynamics are shifting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cTogether, we should push forward these changes that have not happened for 100 years. Take care,\u201d he said during a goodbye handshake with Putin, alluding to what\u00a0<\/strong>Xi sees as an era where the West is fading and China is ascendant.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In their joint statement, the two authoritarian leaders called for promoting a \u201cmultipolar world\u201d \u2013 a buzzword for a system not led by so-called Western values and rules, and pledged to work together to \u201csafeguard the international system,\u201d and the United Nations \u2013 where the two have a track record of blocking motions, including against actors like North Korea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n They also hit out at Washington at multiple points \u2013 including saying they \u201curge the United States to stop undermining international and regional security and global strategic stability in order to maintain its own unilateral military superiority.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Alexander Korolev, an international relations expert at the University of New South Wales in Australia, said the joint statement showed an \u201coverall convergence of Chinese and Russian world views and approaches to many international issues.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIt\u2019s very explicit and clear in terms of identifying the United States as a major security threat,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Perceived threats from bodies like NATO and AUKUS \u2013 a security pact comprised of Australia, the United Kingdom, the United States \u2013 emerged as a clear focus for both leaders, including their implications on Asia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Xi and Putin both expressed \u201cserious concerns\u201d in their joint statement about NATO\u2019s \u201ccontinuous strengthening of military-security ties with Asia-Pacific countries\u201d and said they \u201coppose external military forces undermining regional peace and stability.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"Russian](\"https:\/\/media.cnn.com\/api\/v1\/images\/stellar\/prod\/230321143537-02-xi-jinping-moscow-032123.jpg?c=16x9&q=h_720,w_1280,c_fill\")
![\"Chinese](\"https:\/\/media.cnn.com\/api\/v1\/images\/stellar\/prod\/230322031513-01-putin-xi-big-tables-032123-restricted.jpg?c=16x9&q=h_720,w_1280,c_fill\")
No meaningful path forward on Ukraine<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
New world order and alignment against the US<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\u2018Military mutual trust\u2019 and defense ties<\/h2>\n\n\n\n