I’m sure you’ll be re-elected next year – POLITICO

Chinese President Xi Jinping turned election expert at the start of a high-level state visit to Moscow on Monday and said he was confident Russians would support Vladimir Putin in next year’s presidential election.

Unsurprisingly, Xi made no reference to what happens to Putin’s political opponents.

“I know that next year there will be another presidential election in your country,” Xi told Putin at the start of the Kremlin talks, the official TASS news agency reported. “Thanks to your strong leadership, Russia has made significant progress towards prosperity … in recent years. I am sure that the Russian people will firmly support Mr. President.

Putin, 70, is set to seek another term for the top job next year, while Xi, 69, just won another presidential term less than two weeks ago by breaking Communist Party standards established decades ago.

Xi became the first world leader to meet Putin after the Russian leader received an arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court last week for his role in what the court considers an illegal transfer of Ukrainian civilians to Russian soil. .

Beijing questions the ICC’s decision. “The ICC must take an objective and fair position, respect the jurisdictional immunity of a head of state under international law, exercise its mandate prudently in accordance with law, interpret and apply international law in good faith, and not not engage in politicization or using double standards,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said Monday.