Biden Facing Dilemma With Xi Jinping's Ukraine Peace Plan? Expert Says China Seeks To 'Portray US In Negative Light'

The U.S. is reportedly worried about being backed into a corner as Xi Jinping visited his “dear friend” to discuss the Chinese proposal to end the war in Ukraine. 

What Happened: Washington has publicly expressed skepticism about China's blueprint to end the war in Ukraine, saying a ceasefire now would lock in Russia's territorial gains.

An official belonging to the Joe Biden administration, who asked not to be identified as discussing internal deliberations, told Bloomberg that the meetings and the proposal had provoked a sense of unease within the government.

Regardless of the U.S. reservations, dismissing China's plan outright could let Beijing argue to other countries that are weary of the war that the U.S. isn't interested in stopping the war, the source said.

See Also: Putin, Xi Jinping Tell US To Stop ‘Undermining Global Strategic Security’ As Russia Pushes For China’s Ukraine Peace Plan

If the Biden administration rejects the agreement, "China will likely ramp up messaging that the U.S. is opposed to a ceasefire, that the U.S. is opposed to the end of the war," according to Bonny Lin, a fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

"There will be lots of ways in which China will try to spin whatever comes from the China-Russia meeting in a way that seeks to portray the U.S. in a negative light."

Xi’s recent state visit to Russia brought many uncomfortable realities to light, one of which was the controversy surrounding China’s peace proposal.

Throughout the war, the Biden administration has tried to keep Xi on the sidelines, but the opposite appears to have happened as the "dear friends" Xi and Vladimir Putin agreed to implement their plan. 

As Xi departed, Russia pounded Ukraine with missiles, killing at least eight people in the Kyiv region and one in Zaporizhzhia, officials said.

Read Next: DeSantis Says Not Trump But Biden Is His Real Competition: ‘…He’s Failed The Country’