Xi-Putin no longer friends? China distances itself from Russia by signing communique condemning Ukraine war

 Bali: Chinese President Xi Jinping's 'friendship' with Russian counterpart Putin seems to be going through some turbulence. Amidst suggestive speeches and gestures in recent weeks, the Chinese president, in a noteworthy and surprising step, signed off on a communique Wednesday saying that 'most members strongly condemned the war in Ukraine.'

Notably, China had, since the start of the invasion in February, steered clear of taking sides. China neither criticised Russia publicly nor openly supported the invasion, while the world condemned Putin over the same, until now.

In another such instance, a meeting between US President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the G-20 Summit saw both leaders agreeing on their joint stance against Russia's earlier threat of using nuclear weapons, calling it 'totally unacceptable.'