It took Xi Jinping more than a month after his state visit to Moscow to make a phone call to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. If Russia says it "takes note" of China's willingness to "set up a negotiation process", it has rained down accusations on Kiev.
"The Ukrainian authorities and their Western backers have already demonstrated their ability to undermine peace initiatives," says Russian Foreign Ministry. It is still Kiev, argues Russia, which is responsible for the failure of the draft peace agreements in the spring of 2022.