China's President Xi Jinping has left Russia after a grandiose display of solidarity with President Vladimir Putin that ended with the two autocrats pledging to work together to shape a new world order.
During his two-day visit Xi barely mentioned the Ukraine conflict and said on Tuesday in final remarks that China had an "impartial position".
There was no sign Xi's efforts to play the role of peacemaker had yielded results, but nor did he make any offer of direct support for Putin's war in Ukraine.
Yet, as Xi departed on Wednesday he told Putin: "Now there are changes that haven't happened in 100 years. When we are together, we drive these changes."
"I agree," Putin said, to which Xi responded: "Take care of yourself dear friend, please."
Commenting on the Xi-Putin meeting, the White House said China's position was not impartial and urged Beijing to pressure Russia to withdraw from Ukraine's sovereign territory in order to end Europe's biggest conflict since World War II.
Overnight while Xi was in Moscow, Russian forces launched a "massive air strike", firing 21 Shahed-136 drones, the General Staff of Ukraine's Armed Forces said on Wednesday.
Three people were killed and another seven wounded in the Kyiv region, Ukrainian officials said.
Heralded by the Kremlin as a show of support from its most powerful friend, Xi's visit to Moscow featured carefully staged pomp and ceremony, but the spectacle was also marked by plenty of demonstrative bonhomie between the two leaders.
"They (the leaders) shared the view that this relationship has gone far beyond the bilateral scope and acquired critical importance for the global landscape and the future of humanity," said a statement released by China.
Putin was quoted on the Kremlin's website saying the nations were working towards a "multipolar world order".
"We are working in solidarity on the formation of a more just and democratic multipolar world order, which should be based on the central role of the UN, its Security Council, international law, the purposes and principles of the UN Charter," he was quoted as saying.
An earlier joint statement included familiar accusations against the West - that Washington was undermining global stability and NATO barging into the Asia-Pacific region - while also asserting the close partnership between China and Russia did not constitute a "military-political alliance".
On Ukraine, Putin praised Xi for a peace plan he proposed last month, and blamed Kyiv and the West for rejecting it. The West sees China's peace plan as a ploy to buy Putin time to regroup his forces and solidify his grip on occupied land.
China's 12-point plan has no specific details on how to end the bloody year-long war, which has claimed tens of thousands of lives and forced millions to flee.
The West has sought to isolate Russia through global sanctions and Putin faces an arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court.
China has not supported any of the moves and the West is concerned it may help arm Russia in its conflict, which Beijing has denied.
In remarks after his summit with Xi, Putin condemned British plans to send tank ammunition that contains depleted uranium to Ukraine, and warned of repercussions.
"If all this happens, Russia will have to respond accordingly, given that the West collectively is already beginning to use weapons with a nuclear component," Putin said, without elaborating.
Australian Associated Press
