Xi's trip coincides with a surprise visit to Kyiv by Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, who visited Bucha, a town where Russian forces were accused of committing atrocities during their occupation last year.
Ukraine's foreign ministry described the trip as "historic" and called it "a sign of solidarity and strong cooperation between (Ukraine and Japan)".
"CONSTRUCTIVE ROLE"
On Monday, Xi and Putin held four and a half hours of talks, calling each other "dear friend".
In a rare move, Putin escorted Xi to his car after the talks, and the two were seen smiling together.
During the meeting, the Russian leader said he was open to talks on Ukraine and praised Beijing's 12-point position paper on the conflict, which includes a call for dialogue and respect for all countries' territorial sovereignty.
Xi and Putin are also expected to discuss boosting economic cooperation as Russia boosts energy exports to China after being mostly shut out of European markets.
Ahead of the talks, Russian gas giant Gazprom said that supplies through the Power of Siberia pipeline to China had reached a daily record on Monday.
Xi's three-day visit began a day after Putin travelled to Mariupol in eastern Ukraine, his first trip to territory captured from Kyiv since the start of the assault in February 2022.
China has sought to portray itself as a neutral party in the Ukraine conflict, but Washington has said Beijing's moves could be a "stalling tactic" to help Moscow.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Xi's Moscow visit "suggests that China feels no responsibility to hold the president accountable for the atrocities committed to Ukraine".
"And instead of even condemning, it would rather provide diplomatic cover for Russia to continue to commit those great crimes," he added.
The United States has accused Beijing of mulling arms exports to Moscow, claims China has vociferously denied.
Zelenskyy has said he would welcome talks with Xi, though there has been no indication from Beijing of any such plans.
https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMiYmh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmNoYW5uZWxuZXdzYXNpYS5jb20vd29ybGQveGktamlucGluZy1wdXRpbi12aXNpdC10aWVzLW1vc2Nvdy10cmlwLWNoaW5hLXJ1c3NpYS0zMzYxODgx0gEA?oc=5
2023-03-21 12:17:00Z
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