Vladimir Putin's ‘cheers’ to Xi Jinping's Ukraine peace plan: ‘But West, Kyiv…'

Russia-Ukraine War: Cautioning against steps that may push the war in Ukraine to an "uncontrollable phase", Vladimir Putin accused West and Kyiv for not being ready for peace.

Following talks with China's Xi Jinping, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that Chinese proposals could be used as the basis of a peace settlement in Ukraine. Cautioning against steps that may push the war in Ukraine to an "uncontrollable phase", Vladimir Putin accused West and Kyiv for not being ready for peace.

Russia-Ukraine War: Russian President Vladimir Putin, right, and Chinese President Xi Jinping toast during their dinner.(AP)

"We believe that many of the provisions of the peace plan put forward by China are consonant with Russian approaches and can be taken as the basis for a peaceful settlement when they are ready for that in the West and in Kyiv. However, so far we see no such readiness from their side," Vladimir Putin said.

China's proposal was a 12-point paper calling for a de-escalation and eventual ceasefire in Ukraine, news agency Reuters reported. The US has dismissed China's proposal but Ukraine has welcomed China's diplomatic involvement before.

John Kirby, National Security Council Coordinator for Strategic Communications at the White House said, “I think you've seen over the years that these two countries are growing close together. I wouldn't go so far to call it an alliance. … (it's) a marriage of convenience, because that's what I think it is. In President Putin and Russia, President Xi sees a counterweight to American influence and NATO influence, certainly on the continent and elsewhere around the world.”

"I am convinced that our multi-faceted cooperation will continue to develop for the good of the peoples of our countries," Vladimir Putin said.

Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin called on the US to stop "undermining global strategic security" in a joint statement while pledging more regular joint military drills saying that the closer relationship between Beijing and Moscow it did not constitute a "military-political alliance".