Nikkei: Putin told Xi Jinping that Russia will fight in Ukraine for at least five years

During the visit of Chinese leader Xi Jinping to Moscow in March 2023, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that Russia intends to fight in Ukraine for at least five years.

The Japanese publication Nikkei writes about this with reference to its own sources.

The publication writes that Putin said this to warn Xi Jinping not to change his pro-Russian position. So he tried to assure China that a protracted war was beneficial to China itself, and that Moscow would ultimately emerge victorious, despite the fact that the situation at that time was not in its favor.

The American edition of The New York Times, citing its own sources, wrote that since September, through intermediaries, Putin has conveyed to Ukraine and Western partners the intention to cease fire and freeze hostilities within the current borders — that is, to leave the occupied territories to Russia. He can do this to create the illusion of a movement towards peaceon the eve of the presidential elections in Russia, believing that such an atmosphere will help him during the voting, Nikkei writes.

However, Putinʼs words may not have fully convinced Xi Jinping. If the war between Russia and Ukraine drags on, it will significantly affect the plans and ambitions of the Chinese leader during his third presidential term. In addition, it could also hinder Xi Jinpingʼs master plan to unite mainland China with Taiwan.

If the war in Ukraine does indeed last five years, as Putin allegedly said, it will also put more pressure on China from the West and hit the countryʼs economy because of its cooperation with Russia.

• On March 20-22, 2023, Chinese President Xi Jinping paid an official visit to Moscow. For two days, he held talks with the President of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Putin. As a result of the meeting, the parties published joint statements, which talked about increasing trade and cooperation in all spheres. As for Ukraine, China again called for peace and negotiations, and also emphasized that the principles of the UN Charter must be respected.
• Since the beginning of the full-scale invasion of Russia, China has never once supported Ukraine. Beijing supported the Russian Federation and condemned the sanctions against it imposed by the West due to its armed aggression. Chinaʼs total trade with Russia reached a record high in 2022 — $190 billion, which is 30% more than a year earlier.
• On February 24, 2023, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China published a "peace plan" for the settlement of the war between the Russian Federation and Ukraine. Beijing calls for negotiations. It contains 12 principles, which, according to the authors, should contribute to the end of the Russian Federationʼs war against Ukraine. The word "war" is not mentioned in the document — in the English version of the document, the authors use the words "conflict" and "Ukrainian crisis".