KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Prime Minister Fumio Kishida made a surprise visit Tuesday to Kyiv, stealing some of the attention from Asian rival President Xi Jinping of China, who met in Moscow with Russian President Vladimir Putin to promote Beijing’s peace proposal for Ukraine that Western nations have already criticized.

The two visits, about 800 kilometers (500 miles) apart, highlighted the nearly 13-month-old war’s repercussions for international diplomacy as countries line up behind Moscow or Kyiv. Kishida, who will chair the Group of Seven summit in May, met President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and paid tribute to those killed in Bucha, a town outside Kyiv that became a symbol of Russian atrocities against civilians.

After talks with Xi, Putin said a Chinese peace plan could provide a basis for a settlement of the fighting in Ukraine when the West is ready for it, but he added that Kyiv’s Western allies have shown no interest in that.

U.S. officials have said any peace plan coming from the Putin-Xi meeting would be unacceptable because a cease-fire would only ratify Moscow’s territorial conquests and give Russia time to plan for a renewed offensive.

“It looks like the West indeed intends to fight Russia until the last Ukrainian,” Putin said after his talks with Xi. He said the latest threat is a British plan to provide Ukraine with tank rounds containing depleted uranium. “If that happens, Russia will respond accordingly, given that the collective West is starting to use weapons with a nuclear component.”

He did not elaborate. Putin has occasionally warned that Russia would use all available means, including possibly nuclear weapons, to defend itself, but also has sometimes backed off such threats.

JERUSALEM (AP) — The Israeli parliament on Monday advanced a bill that would make it harder to oust Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over the corruption charges against him, as it plowed ahead with a broader plan to overhaul the country’s legal system in defiance of mass protests.

Lawmakers in the Knesset gave preliminary approval during a late-night vote on the bill, which would allow the parliament to declare a prime minister unfit to rule only for physical or mental reasons.

The body was expected to vote later on a measure that would allow the Knesset to overrule Supreme Court rulings and enact laws that had been struck down. Both bills require additional votes before being enshrined into law.

The steps were the latest in a series of moves by Netanyahu’s coalition to overhaul Israel’s legal system. The prime minister and his allies say the effort is aimed at reining in an activist court. Critics say the drive would upend the country’s democratic checks and balances and concentrate power in the hands of Netanyahu and his parliamentary majority.

Netanyahu and his ultranationalist and religious coalition allies have pledged to plow ahead with the legal changes despite demonstrations by tens of thousands of Israeli protesters over the past two months. Business leaders, legal experts and retired military leaders have joined the protests, and Israeli reservists have threatened to stop reporting for duty if the overhaul passes.

In a late-night vote, the Knesset moved forward a bill that would protect Netanyahu from calls to oust him, replacing current law that opens the door for a leader to be removed under other circumstances. The new bill would require approval by three-quarters of the government, and could be overridden by the prime minister.

The measure has personal importance to Netanyahu, who returned to power late last year after Israel’s fifth election in under four years. He is on trial on charges of fraud, breach of trust and accepting bribes, and denies the allegations. The proceedings have dragged on for nearly three years.

Good governance groups and other critics have called on the country’s attorney general to deem Netanyahu unfit for office.

Speaking to members of his Likud party on Monday, Netanyahu lashed out at the Israeli media, saying they are broadcasting a “never ending tsunami of fake news” against him. He reiterated his claim that the legal overhaul will strengthen Israeli democracy.

Opposition lawmaker Orna Barbivai said the bill was “a disgrace, which says the the prime minister is above the law.”

Israel’s Palestinian minority, which makes up some 20% of the population, has been largely absent from the protests, in part because they suffer from discrimination in Israel and and because of Israel’s treatment of their Palestinian brethren in the West Bank and Gaza.

LONDON (AP) — King Charles III will travel to France and Germany for his first state visits since becoming monarch, Buckingham Palace said Friday, underscoring Britain’s efforts to build bridges with its European neighbors following years of strained relations caused by Brexit.

Charles and Camilla, the queen consort, are set to visit the European Union’s two biggest countries March 26-31, hosted by Presidents Emmanuel Macron of France and Frank-Walter Steinmeier of Germany, the palace announced.

“The visit will celebrate the U.K.’s relationship with France and Germany, marking our shared histories, culture and values,″ the palace said. “It is also a chance to look forwards and show the many ways our countries are working in partnership, whether that be to tackle climate change; respond to the conflict in Ukraine; seize trade and investment opportunities or share the best of our arts and culture.″

Highlighting the significance of the trip is the fact that it will be the first state visit by a British monarch since 2015; the late Queen Elizabeth II, Charles’ mother, stopped traveling abroad in her later years.

The announcement came just days after Charles met with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen at Windsor Castle and British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced a breakthrough in talks to resolve the dispute over post-Brexit trading arrangements for Northern Ireland.

Sunak will be anxious to use the soft power of the monarchy to highlight the thaw in relations between the U.K. and the EU, which have been strained by Britain’s decision to leave the bloc.

The trip to France and Germany is being made at the request of the British government and at the invitations of the two governments, the palace said.

The royals will travel first to France, where they will be greeted by Macron and take part in a ceremony of remembrance at the Arc de Triomphe in Paris. Charles will later meet with members of the National Assembly and Senate and attend a state banquet at the Chateau de Versailles.

The French leg of the trip will also include traveling to Bordeaux, which is home to a large British community. The royal couple plan to visit an organic vineyard and one of the areas devastated by wildfires last summer.

Charles and Camilla are scheduled to travel to Germany on March 29, where they will be greeted by Steinmeier and Charles plans to address the Bundestag, Germany’s parliament. Steinmeier will also host a state banquet for the royal couple.

Charles will also meet with Ukrainian refugees in Germany, visit a joint U.K.-German military unit and travel to Hamburg, where he will visit sustainable energy projects.

While Britain’s royals have ceded most of their powers to the nation’s elected leaders, the aura of the monarchy and the pomp and ceremony of royal visits are still seen as a way to burnish the U.K.’s image and bolster ties with nations around the globe.

This role was epitomized by Elizabeth, who made 121 state visits during her 70-year reign, leading royal historian Robert Hardman to dub her “Queen of the World.”

When Charles met with von der Leyen on Monday, Buckingham Palace was quick to stress that he was working in concert with the government.

“The king is pleased to meet any world leader, if they are visiting Britain, and it is the government’s advice that he should do so,” the palace said before that meeting.

The French leg of the trip may have a particular significance for Charles, who is said to have formed a close relationship with Macron because of the two men’s shared focus on protecting the environment and fighting climate change.

Mutual respect also was expressed by Germany’s president. In a video message, Steinmeier said he last met Charles at Elizabeth’s funeral and invited him to visit Germany as king. He said that Charles’ decision to visit half a year later shows how much the king values the friendship between Germans and Britons.

The German president said Charles’ decision to travel to Germany and France “is also an important European gesture.”

“I would like to say to him, but of course also to all Britons: We in Germany, we in Europe, want close and friendly relations with the United Kingdom after Brexit as well,” Steinmeier said.

In November, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa made the first state visit to Britain of Charles’ reign. But the visit had been in the works before the late queen’s death.