The US has called on Chinese President Xi Jinping to pressure Russian President Vladimir Putin to “stop war crimes” in Ukraine.

White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby drew Xi’s attention to calling on Russia to withdraw troops from Ukraine.

He said, asking for a ceasefire will not be enough. We are concerned that China may simply call for a cease-fire, allowing Russian forces to remain on the sovereign territory of Ukraine. A ceasefire without the withdrawal of Russian troops from Ukraine would mean allowing Russia’s illegitimate victory. News – BBC.

John Kirby said we hope President Xi will pressure Putin to stop bombing Ukrainian cities, hospitals and schools. Hope to also push for an end to war crimes and atrocities and withdrawal of troops.

Xi Jinping arrived in Russia on Monday to meet Putin. This is his first visit to Russia since the start of the war in Ukraine. Tuesday is the second day of his visit.

China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said earlier that President Xi Jinping will visit Moscow from March 20 to 22 at the invitation of Vladimir Putin. Foreign Office spokeswoman Hua Chunying said China would take a “neutral and fair” stance on the Ukraine war and play a constructive role in peace talks.

The visit came three days after the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued an arrest warrant against Putin. However, neither Russia nor China is a member state of the ICC. Therefore, there is a clear impression that they are not taking ICC’s arrest warrant into consideration.

China is now Russia’s biggest ally. Beijing has already offered mediation aimed at ending the Ukraine war. After their proposal, Xi Jinping visited Moscow. However, China’s mediation proposal did not receive such a response from the western countries. Instead, Western countries have warned China not to supply arms to Russia.

According to some US media reports, President Xi and President Zelensky will talk by telephone after the Chinese leader’s visit to Moscow. But it is not confirmed yet.