While Ukrainian head of state Volodymyr Zelenskyy travels to the US on Wednesday, the Russian leadership is also paying a senior visit to another world power. Dmitry Medvedev, ex-president and head of the Kremlin’s United Russia party, met with Chinese President Xi Jinping. Observers interpret Medvedev’s upgrade as a sign of a possible role in the search for a successor to Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin should he resign.
“They were extremely useful talks,” Medvedev, deputy head of Russia’s Security Council, said after speaking on his Telegram channel. The 57-year-old said it was about bilateral cooperation, cooperation between the governing parties, but also international politics, including the conflict in Ukraine.
Xi urges negotiations with Ukraine
According to state media, during his surprise meeting with Medvedev, Xi expressed the hope that everyone involved in the Ukraine crisis would exercise restraint. Xi also told Medvedev that security issues must be resolved politically, the Xinhua news agency reported.
As leader of the Kremlin “United Russia” party, Medvedev is roughly on par with Xi Jinping as leader of the Communist Party in China, at least on a party political level. However, unlike his Beijing host, the former Russian president’s political powers are limited.
Big credit to Medvedev
During his tenure from 2008 to 2012, Medvedev was considered a relatively liberal and pro-Western representative of the authorities. However, since the beginning of the Russian offensive war against Ukraine, he has tried to present himself as a hardliner. Observers suspect that Medvedev wants to regain more political weight with this image change – and in the future as a possible successor Putin brings into conversation. The reception at Xi Jinping means a major upgrade for him.
Source: Krone
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