Russian President Vladimir Putin confirmed on Wednesday that he will visit China in October at the invitation of his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping, the first trip to the country since the start of the conflict in Ukraine in February 2022.
According to Russian state television, Putin said he was “delighted” to accept the invitation he extended during a meeting in Russia with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, without giving a specific date for the visit.
The Kremlin had already announced the Russian president’s “intention” to travel to China to participate in the “Belt and Road” Forum, which brings together international leaders.
Russia, sanctioned by the West over its invasion of Ukraine, has sought to strengthen economic, military and energy ties with Beijing.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov had indicated that Putin would receive Wang Yi and welcome him to the “Constantine Palace in St. Petersburg” in the northwest of the country.
After arriving in Russia on Monday, the head of Chinese diplomacy held talks with his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, with both praising the “similar” views shared with Beijing on the United States and the conflict in Ukraine.
Since Xi Jinping’s visit to the Kremlin in March, and given Russia’s growing isolation, hit by a wave of international sanctions in retaliation for the offensive in Ukraine, Moscow and Beijing have championed closer economic and military cooperation, within the framework of a friendship officially described as “without boundaries”.
China and Russia, who share a common desire to counter what they see as the hegemony of the United States, conducted joint naval maneuvers in the Pacific last August.
Regarding the conflict in Ukraine, China is trying to position itself as a neutral country, despite openly supporting the Kremlin.
Source: DN
