MOSCOW: Vladimir Putin will travel to China on May 19 for a two-day visit, shortly after US President Donald Trump concluded his trip to Beijing, the Kremlin said on Saturday.
According to a Kremlin statement, Putin will hold talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping on ways to “further strengthen the comprehensive partnership and strategic cooperation” between Moscow and Beijing.
The two leaders are also expected to “exchange views on key international and regional issues” and sign a joint declaration following their discussions, the statement added.
During the visit, Putin is additionally scheduled to meet Chinese Premier Li Qiang to discuss economic and trade cooperation between the two countries.
The announcement of Putin’s China trip comes a day after Trump wrapped up the first visit to China by a sitting US president in nearly a decade. Despite the grand reception accorded to Trump in Beijing, several major trade and geopolitical disputes remained unresolved, including issues linked to the Ukraine-Russia conflict.
Trump and Xi discussed the war in Ukraine — which has continued for more than four years — as well as the US leader’s ongoing conflict with Iran. However, Trump departed China on Friday without any apparent breakthrough on either issue.
While China has repeatedly called for negotiations to end the fighting in Ukraine, Beijing has never condemned Russia’s decision to send troops into Ukraine in February 2022 and continues to portray itself as a neutral party in the conflict.
China has also denied supplying Russia with weapons or military components for its defence industry, instead accusing Western nations of prolonging Europe’s deadliest conflict since World War II by continuing to arm Ukraine.
As the world’s largest buyer of Russian fossil fuels, China has emerged as Moscow’s most important economic partner, particularly after Western countries imposed sanctions on Russian oil and gas exports following the conflict.
US-brokered negotiations aimed at ending the war in Ukraine have appeared stalled since the outbreak of the US-Israeli war with Iran on February 28.
Moscow has meanwhile ruled out agreeing to a ceasefire or broader peace negotiations with Ukraine unless Kyiv accepts the Kremlin’s sweeping demands.