Europe wants China in its corner on Ukraine. But their relations are a tricky balancing act

CNN — European officials took some small comfort when China attended a summit in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, last weekend. The meeting aimed to find a peaceful solution to the conflict in Ukraine. While Beijing didn't budge from its stated position of impartiality, China's mere presence at a meeting to which Russia says it was not invited has, some sources claim, sent a message to the international community that it's not willing openly to pick Russia's side against the West. It might be a very small victory, but in the diplomatic world of zero-sum games, Russian President Vladimir Putin not getting…