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© Reuters. Ukrainian soldiers of the Paratroopers’ of 80th brigade take cover as they fire a mortar shell at a frontline position near Bakhmut, amid Russia’s attack on Ukraine, in Donetsk region, Ukraine March 16, 2023. REUTERS/Violeta Santos Moura
(Reuters) – Russian President Vladimir Putin will expect Chinese President Xi Jinping to show solidarity against Western hegemony when he arrives in Moscow on Monday, while Xi will present China as a global peacemaker intent on brokering an end to the Ukraine war.
RUSSIA-CHINA
* Xi will be the first world leader to shake Putin’s hand since the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued an arrest warrant for the Russian leader on Friday over the deportation of Ukrainian children to Russia since the start of the war. Moscow rejects the charge. (Full Story)
* In an article, Xi said China’s proposal to end the Ukraine crisis reflects global views and seeks to neutralise consequences, but he acknowledged that the solutions are not easy.
* In a Chinese newspaper piece published on the Kremlin website late on Sunday, Putin said he had high hopes for the visit by his “good old friend” Xi.
* China’s proposal contains only general statements and no concrete detail on how to end the year-long war which has claimed tens of thousands of lives and forced millions to flee.
* The United States and its Western allies are deeply sceptical of China’s motives, noting it has declined to condemn Russia and provided it with an economic lifeline.
DIPLOMACY
* Justice ministers from around the world will meet in London on Monday to discuss scaling up support for the International Criminal Court after it issued an arrest warrant for Putin.
* Several European Union countries will sign an agreement on Monday in Brussels to buy 155 mm artillery shells for Ukraine. Kyiv has identified the supply of 155 mm shells as a critical need, with both sides firing thousands of artillery rounds every day.
* After U.S. sources said Chinese ammunition was being used by Russian forces, Beijing countered that it was the United States, not the Chinese, supplying arms to the Ukraine battlefield.
FIGHTING
* Fierce fighting continued in the eastern town of Bakhmut with each side launching counter offensives. Ukrainian forces have held out in Bakhmut since last summer in the longest and bloodiest battle of the year-long war.
* Russia’s Wagner mercenary group, which is spearheading the assault on Bakhmut and has suffered heavy losses, plans to recruit some 30,000 new fighters by mid-May.
* Ukrainian officials have claimed that some 30,000 of Wagner’s fighters have deserted or been killed or wounded, a figure that could not be independently verified.
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