Ukraine-Russia news – live: Xi meets ‘dear friend’ Putin, who ‘will certainly discuss’ peace plan

Chinese President Xi Jinping has met his “dear friend” Vladimir Putin during a visit to Moscow.

Mr Xi was the first leader to meet the Russian president since the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued an arrest warrant for him on Friday over the deportation of Ukrainian children to Russia during its year-old invasion of Ukraine.

Moscow said the charge was one of several “clearly hostile displays” and opened a criminal case against the ICC prosecutor and judges. Beijing said the warrant reflected double standards.

Russia is presenting Mr Xi’s trip, his first since securing an unprecedented third term this month, as evidence that it has a powerful friend in its standoff with a hostile West.

The two men greeted one another as “dear friend” when they met in the Kremlin on Monday afternoon before a dinner, to be followed by formal talks on Tuesday.

Mr Putin told Mr Xi he viewed China’s proposals for a resolution of the Ukraine conflict with respect and was also “slightly envious” of China’s rapid development in recent decades.

“China has created a very effective system for developing the economy and strengthening the state. It is much more effective than in many other countries,” he said.

Vladimir Putin claimed he would “certainly discuss” China’s peace proposals for the Ukraine war with “dear friend” Xi Jinping, as he sought to put on a show of close ties with Beijing.

"We are always open to negotiations," Mr Putin told Mr Xi as he greeted him at the Kremlin, adding: “We will certainly discuss all these issues, including your initiatives which we treat with respect, of course.”

Seeking to heap praise on his guest, the Russian president added that was also “slightly envious” of China’s rapid development in recent decades.

“China has created a very effective system for developing the economy and strengthening the state. It is much more effective than in many other countries,” he said.

European Union member states have reached an agreement on the joint procurement of ammunition for Ukraine, German defence minister Boris Pistorius has said.

“Today, we will sign the respective documents,” he told reporters on the sidelines of a meeting with his EU counterparts in Brussels, adding that Germany would also open its national framework contracts with the defence industry to other partners as speed was of the essence in supplying Kyiv.

“Our goal has to be to ship a significant amount of munitions to Ukraine before the end of this year,” Mr Pistorius said.

China’s president Xi Jinping should use his visit to Moscow to urge Vladimir Putin to halt its bombings and other “atrocities” in Ukraine, Downing Street has said.

Rishi Sunak’s official spokesperson said: “China has spoken previously about the importance of respecting sovereignty and territorial integrity in Ukraine. We would like to see President Xi advocate for this point when he speaks to Putin.

“This war and its assault on Ukraine’s sovereignty could end today if Russia withdrew its troops from Ukraine. So we hope President Xi uses this opportunity to press President Putin to cease bombing Ukrainian cities, hospitals, schools, and to halt some of these atrocities that we are seeing on a daily basis.”

Vladimir Putin has said that Russia would provide grain to African countries for free if the Black Sea grain deal is not extended in May.

Speaking by video link to delegates at a Russia-Africa parliamentary conference, the Russian president said that only a small amount of grain exports unblocked under the deal had reached Africa, and that the fulfilment of Russian conditions for the deal’s renewal was in Africa’s interest.

Russia's Investigative Committee has launched a criminal case against the International Criminal Court prosecutor and judges who have issued an arrest warrant for Vladimir Putin on war crimes charges.

The committee, responsible for investigating serious crimes, said heads of state enjoyed absolute immunity from the jurisdiction of foreign states, and insisted there were no grounds for criminal liability on Mr Putin’s part.

The ICC prosecutor’s actions showed signs of being crimes under Russian law, the committee claimed – knowingly accusing an innocent person of a crime, and “preparing an attack on a representative of a foreign state enjoying international protection, in order to complicate international relations”.

Writing for Independent Voices, Timothy Ash of Chatham House suggests that Xi Jinping likely assumed that any war between Russia and Ukraine would be short, provide a swift kick in the face for the US and its Nato allies, and – As the war dragged on – sap the strengths of both Russia and Nato.

He adds: “Something seems to have changed. China’s foreign minister has unveiled a 12-point peace plan on the one-year anniversary of the invasion on 24 February. Xi’s plans for a trip to Moscow next week were then unveiled, and a call reportedly lined up with President Zelensky of Ukraine after his meeting with Putin. China now seems to want peace, and is willing to try and broker that.

“What has changed? Likely Xi has concluded from Putin’s failed offensive in Bakhmut that Russia cannot win – and may now fear that a devastating defeat for Putin in Ukraine could threaten regime change in Moscow.

“It is extremely unlikely, but would be a nightmare scenario for Beijing as the emergence of a pro-Western administration in Moscow would leave China encircled. As such, Xi would want a peace in Ukraine which can save Putin’s skin.”

You can read his thinking in full here:

Vladimir Putin appeared to be heckled by a person warning his carefully choreographed visit to Mariupol was “all lies”.

State media said Mr Putin drove around the occupied port city in a car on Saturday, stopping in several districts to speak with locals in what appears to be an attempt by the president to project an image of control after he was indicted on war crimes charges. It is the first time he has visited the city.

Ukraine has said 20,000 people have been killed in the city, which has seen 90 per cent of its buildings damaged during Russia’s indiscriminate bombing campaign at the start of the war. Some 350,000 Mariupol’s 500,000 residents were forced to flee in the face of the bloody assault.

Videos of Xi Jinping’s arrival in Moscow’s Vnukovo showed the Chinese leader being welcomed by a military band orchestra after setting foot out of the plane, reports my colleague Shweta Sharma.

The two leaders are scheduled to have lunch before holding an informal one-to-one meeting on Monday afternoon and are set to hold a round of formal delegation talks on Tuesday.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitri Peskov said Mr Putin’s first meeting with Mr Xi will begin around 4.30pm Moscow time and will be “informal but very important”.

Mr Xi and Mr Putin will “of course” discuss China’s 12-point peace proposal to end the Ukraine war, which was published by Beijing several weeks ago, he said, adding: “President Putin will give exhaustive explanations so that President Xi can understand the Russian position at the current moment.”

The three-day visit – dubbed by the Chinese government a “trip for peace” – will be closely watched by Ukraine and the rest of the international community.