A brief, failed revolt by Russian mercenaries in June raised doubts about Putin's hold on power. It also worried officials in China, which has its own history with "warlords," a US official said. They were unnerved by what happened two weekends ago in Moscow," Campbell said in an interview with The Wire China published on July 16, after several senior US officials visited China. China presented a peace plan in April — shortly after President Xi Jinping visited Moscow — that was widely seen as vague and self-interested. Putin and Xi have been a driving force behind the strengthening of Sino-Russian relations over the past 15 years.

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