War in Ukraine

The White House said China’s position was not impartial and urged Beijing to pressure Russia to withdraw from Ukraine.

The three-day visit underscores how Chinese President Xi Jinping wants to position himself as a world-shaping leader and his country as a counterweight to U.S. dominance.

The summit, Putin’s biggest display of diplomacy since Russia invaded Ukraine a year ago, was partly upstaged in Kyiv, where Japan’s prime minister made a surprise visit and met President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Ukraine's Defense Ministry said on Telegram that “Kalibr NK” missiles designed to be launched from the Russian naval fleet in the Black Sea had been destroyed.

Chinese President Xi Jinping's visit could serve as an even greater show of solidarity after the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Mariupol become a worldwide symbol of defiance after small group of outgunned Ukrainian fighters held out for 83 days in the port city's sprawling Azovstal steelworks.

The International Criminal Court accused the Russian President of committing the war crime of overseeing the unlawful abduction and deportation of children.

Officials are concerned that sharper rhetoric toward China could backfire by pushing President Xi Jinping into a corner where he feels compelled to send lethal aid to Russia.

The court said Friday that the Russian leader is responsible for overseeing the forced deportation of children. The Kremlin has previously denied the accusation.

It is his first trip to Moscow since the invasion of Ukraine last year, and comes as Beijing is trying to position itself as a mediator in the conflict despite skepticism from Washington and its allies.

"If you really understand the issues, you probably would not make statements like that,” the vice president said.