Chinese President Xi Jinping is set to visit Russia from Monday to Wednesday, in what appears to be a gesture of support for Russian President Vladimir Putin amid increasing tensions between the East and the West over the conflict in Ukraine.
Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine is expected to be the main topic of discussion during the meeting between the two leaders.
While China has tried to present itself as neutral in the conflict, it declared in 2022 that it has a “no-limits” friendship with Russia and has refused to condemn Moscow’s invasion.
China has condemned Western sanctions and accused NATO and the US of provoking Russia into military action, stating that all countries’ sovereignty and territorial integrity should be respected.
On Thursday, Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang expressed concern to his Ukrainian counterpart about the conflict and called for talks on a political solution with Moscow.
Kuleba, the Ukrainian foreign minister, later tweeted about the significance of the territorial integrity principle and President Zelensky’s Peace Formula for ending the aggression and restoring just peace in Ukraine.
During the visit, Xi and Putin will discuss the further development of a comprehensive partnership and strategic interaction between Russia and China and exchange views on deepening Russian-Chinese cooperation in the international arena. The two leaders will also sign important bilateral documents.
The trip comes after the destruction of a US drone over the Black Sea, bringing the two countries closest to direct conflict since Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine a year ago.
In a statement, the Kremlin said that Putin invited Xi to visit Russia during a video conference call the two held in late December.
Putin hoped that the visit would “demonstrate to the whole world the strength of the Russian-Chinese ties” and “become the main political event of the year in bilateral relations.”
»Russia-China Ties Strengthen as Xi Jinping Visits Putin«
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