Shakey-looking Putin praises 'dear friend' President Xi while gripping the arms ... trends now

A shaky-looking Vladimir Putin praised his 'dear friend' President Xi Jinping while he gripped the arms of his chair during the Chinese leader's visit to Moscow today. 

Putin appeared to be trembling and clutching his seat as he welcomed Xi to the Kremlin today in a sign that the 70-year-old's health continues to deteriorate. 

The Russian despot said he was willing to discuss Beijing's plan to end the war in Ukraine - a move that has been met with scepticism in Kyiv and the West, with world leaders questioning the real motive behind Beijing's plan for peace.

'We are always open to negotiations,' Putin told Xi during the visit, which is intended to send a powerful message to Western leaders allied with Ukraine that their efforts to isolate Moscow have fallen short. 'We will certainly discuss all these issues, including your initiatives which we treat with respect, of course.'

China has not offered any concrete proposals to end the war other than a 12-point 'peace plan' which included calling for an end to Western sanctions, negotiations that would see Ukraine ceding territory, a NATO pull-back from its eastern borders and reconstruction efforts that are likely to benefit Chinese contractors.

And despite its calls for peace, Beijing has continued to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with Russia and parroted the Kremlin's talking points about NATO expansionism. 

Indeed, Xi cosied up to Putin today and stroked the Russian leader's ego by saying he was 'convinced' the despot enjoyed the Russian people's support ahead of a presidential election scheduled for next year. 

Meanwhile, Xi today said his first state visit to Russia since Putin invaded Ukraine would aid bilateral ties between the two nations.

'I am confident the visit will be fruitful and give new momentum to the healthy and stable development of Chinese-Russian relations,' Xi told journalists at Moscow's Vnukovo airport where he was met by stern-faced honour guards. He described Russia and China as 'good neighbours' and 'reliable partners'.

Xi is expected to present China as a global peacemaker intent on brokering an end to the Ukraine war – a move that has been met with scepticism in Kyiv and the West, with world leaders questioning the real motive behind Beijing's plan for peace.

Meanwhile, Putin will attempt to present Xi's trip – the first world leader to visit since the ICC charged the Russian leader with war crimes – as evidence that Russia has a powerful friend prepared to stand with it against a hostile West. 

Indeed, Dr Alan Mendoza, Executive Director of the think tank Henry Jackson Society, tells MailOnline: 'Xi's visit to Russia is of great propaganda value to Putin, as it enables him to show Russians that his war has not left them isolated. 

'It's also a huge slap in the face for the ICC and for ideas of justice, given that the trip is taking place just as a war crimes arrest warrant has been issued for Putin.

'China is sending a clear message to the West about where it stands geopolitically and on shared values – shoulder to shoulder with its aggressive, authoritarian Russian ally – and also to Ukraine that it cannot rely on China acting neutrally in this conflict.'

The Chinese government said Xi would visit Moscow from today until Wednesday. 

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that over dinner tonight, Putin and Xi will touch on issues related to Ukraine, adding that Russia's president will likely offer a 'detailed explanation' of Moscow's view on the current situation. 

Broader talks involving officials from both countries on a range of subjects are scheduled for tomorrow, according to Peskov.

For Putin, Xi's presence at the Kremlin is a prestige visit and a diplomatic triumph, allowing him to tell Western leaders allied with Ukraine that their efforts to isolate him have fallen short. 

Xi's trip comes just days after the ICC in The Hague announced it wants to put Putin on trial for the abductions of thousands of children from Ukraine.

Indeed, despite its calls for peace, China has continued to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with Russia. It looks to the country as a source of oil and gas for its energy-hungry economy and as a partner in opposing what both see as American domination of global affairs. 

Beijing has portrayed Xi's visit as part of normal diplomatic exchanges and has offered little detail about what the trip aims to accomplish, though the nearly 13 months of war in Ukraine cast a long shadow on the talks.

At a daily briefing in Beijing today, foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said Xi's trip was a 'journey of friendship, cooperation and peace'.

On the war, he said: 'China will uphold its objective and fair position on the Ukrainian crisis and play a constructive role in promoting peace talks.'

Beijing's leap into Ukraine issues follows its recent success in brokering talks between Iran and its chief Middle Eastern rival, Saudi Arabia, which agreed to restore their diplomatic ties after years of tensions.

Flushed with that success, Xi called for China to play a bigger role in managing global affairs.

'President Xi will have an in-depth exchange of views with President Putin on bilateral relations and major international and regional issues of common concern,' Wenbin said.

He added that Xi aims to 'promote strategic coordination and practical cooperation between the two countries and inject new impetus into the development of bilateral relations'.

Today's meeting gives Putin and Xi a chance to show they have 'powerful partners' at a time of strained relations with Washington, said Joseph Torigian, an expert in Chinese-Russian relations at American University in Washington.

'China can signal that it could even do more to help Russia, and that if relations with the United States continue to deteriorate, they could do a lot more to enable Russia and help Russia in its war against Ukraine,' Mr Torigian said.

In an article published at the beginning of his visit to Moscow, Xi said China's 12 point peace plan, which was released last month, reflects global views and seeks to neutralise consequences, but acknowledged that solutions are not easy.

'Complex problems do not have simple solutions,' said Xi.

Ukraine and its Western backers would be likely to dismiss any attempt to secure a ceasefire as little more than a ploy to buy Putin time to reinforce, and delay a widely expected Ukrainian counter-offensive.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said he will only consider peace settlements after Russian troops leave Ukrainian territory.

China's proposal contains only general statements and no concrete proposal on how to end the year-long war in which tens of thousands of people have been killed, cities have been destroyed and millions forced to flee.

In an article for a Chinese newspaper, published on the

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