Putin-Xi Jinping Discuss 'Olympic Truce'... No Plans to Seize Kharkiv (Summary)

Russian President Vladimir Putin (left), on a state visit to China, is having tea with President Xi Jinping at Zhongnanhai in Beijing on the 16th. [Image source=Yonhap News]

Russian President Vladimir Putin revealed on the 17th (local time) that he discussed the issue of an 'Olympic truce' during a summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

At a press conference held in Harbin, Heilongjiang Province, China, President Putin was asked whether the Olympic truce was on the agenda. He replied, "Yes. President Xi spoke to me about it, and we discussed the matter comprehensively." Regarding Kharkiv, Ukraine's second-largest city where Russia has recently concentrated its offensive, he stated, "There are currently no plans to take control of Kharkiv."

President Xi recently proposed a joint truce during the Paris Olympics, which open on July 26, in a summit with French President Emmanuel Macron during his recent European tour.

President Putin did not clearly state whether the Olympic truce would be implemented. He criticized restrictions on Russian athletes' participation in the Olympics, saying, "Today, international sports officials themselves violate the principles and core of the Olympic Charter and politicize sports. This is unacceptable." The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has banned Russian and Belarusian athletes from participating as national representatives in this Olympics, allowing only individual participation.

He explained that the Kharkiv offensive is due to Ukraine continuing to shell civilian residential areas in border regions such as Belgorod, saying, "I have publicly stated that if this continues, we will have no choice but to create buffer zones to protect the border areas, and we are currently doing that." He added, "The Russian military is advancing daily according to plan."

When asked by a reporter about the conditions for Russia's participation in the Ukraine peace conference to be held in Switzerland next month, Putin said, "No one has invited us. Let them do as they please." He warned that "It is clear that they want to gather as many countries as possible, declare everything settled, and then issue an ultimatum to Russia, but such a goal will not be achieved," and said he would monitor the situation. He also mentioned that he discussed the possibility of China's participation in the conference with President Xi in a comprehensive manner.

President Putin said that China is the country genuinely striving to end the situation in Ukraine, stating, "President Xi clearly expressed China's position on the key points discussed during his recent European tour and the peace plan, and we discussed it very thoroughly."