Putin and Xi talk amid Abu Dhabi negotiations

Read also Xi says China backs Ukraine peace deal 'acceptable to all parties' after talks with Macron.

This was the first conversation between Putin and Xi Jinping this year, as both sides seek to strengthen strategic cooperation amid growing global geopolitical tensions.

According to the agency, Xi Jinping says that relations between China and Russia are on the right track and that the two countries need a grand plan to develop ties.

Putin, in turn, tells Xi Jinping that China-Russia relations are a stabilizing factor in times of global turbulence.

The Russian President also praises energy trade with China, as Moscow consistently ranks first among suppliers to the world's second-largest economy.

Putin says Russia is a leading supplier of energy to China, and their energy partnership is mutually beneficial and truly strategic. He adds that they are engaged in active dialogue on peaceful nuclear energy and are promoting high-tech projects, particularly in industry and space exploration.

The talks followed a meeting on February 1 between Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Russian Security Council Chairman Sergei Shoigu, who was in Beijing.

Both sides pledge to maintain close communication on important bilateral issues and to strengthen support on issues of mutual interest.

The conversation between Putin and Xi Jinping also took place against the backdrop of the expiration on Thursday of the new START treaty between Russia and the US, a nuclear weapons agreement signed in 2010.

In separate talks in Beijing on Tuesday, China and Russia pledged to uphold the authority and effectiveness of international treaties and arms control mechanisms, as well as to contribute to global strategic stability.

Xi Jinping's conversation with Putin also took place at a time of heightened global geopolitical tensions, including US President Trump's threats of a large-scale attack on Iran.

Cooperation between Russia and China

China officially positions itself as neutral in Russia's war against Ukraine.

At the same time, Beijing continues to cooperate closely with Moscow, and some Chinese companies supply Russia with dual-use goods that can be used, in particular, for the production of weapons.

Earlier, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy noted that China was currently not showing any willingness to join the peaceful settlement of the war. According to him, Beijing's policy actually strengthens Russia's financial capabilities to continue its aggression.

Zelenskyy stressed that China had significantly increased its purchases of Russian energy resources and has become their largest buyer, and Moscow is using the funds received from exports to finance the war.

The Economist reported that China has become the main supplier for Russia's military machine and suggests that Beijing may have transferred lethal weapons to Moscow.

China is also sending Russia specialized machine tools, instruments, and high-tech equipment used to build hypersonic missiles with nuclear warheads, including the Oreshnik missile.

Negotiations in Abu Dhabi

Today, February 4, a new meeting between delegations from Ukraine, the US, and Russia will take place in Abu Dhabi.

The previous round of trilateral consultations took place in Abu Dhabi on January 23-24. At that time, the greatest progress was made on military issues, but the issue of territories remained unresolved.

The next stage of negotiations was scheduled for February 1. Subsequently, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced that the meeting had been postponed to February 4 and 5.

Zelenskyy had also previously emphasized that without personal negotiations with Russian dictator Vladimir Putin, it would be impossible to resolve the territorial issue.

For more details on the importance of the new round of negotiations between Ukraine, the US, and Russia, see the article by RBC-Ukraine.