When Medvedev met with Xi, he handed him a personal letter from Putin, which according to Chinese state media “conveyed the latter’s friendly greetings and best wishes to Xi.” The letter also “extended warm congratulations on Xi’s reelection as General Secretary of the CPC Central Committee and the outcomes of the 20th CPC National Congress.”
This statement immediately caused many to question why a letter of such benign and boilerplate verbiage had to be hand-carried and could not be transmitted through embassy channels like a New Year’s holiday greeting. Since what was billed as nothing more than a “meeting of two party leaders” was concluded that answer has been revealed—and it is not a hopeful sign for Putin.
According to Russian sources, the letter was the result of a “demand” (and not a request) previously issued from Xi that the Russian dictator provide details as to when and how he intends to conclude the war in Ukraine.
Specifically, the Russian president had been told “only if there were such written explanations or, if you like, promises,” would Xi be “ready to agree to telephone conversations with Putin and discuss the possibility of a visit to Russia next year.”
Xi had also reportedly “threatened to halt communications unless he received a response” he regarded as acceptable. In the balance hangs not only the question of the relationship between the two despots going forward, but also whether or not Xi would accept Putin’s invitation to come to Moscow in 2023. An official state visit by the Chinese leader would publicly telegraph the message of full-blown support from Beijing that Putin sorely needs.
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