Chinese language chief Xi Jinping pays an official go to to Russia from Could 7–10, the Kremlin confirmed Sunday.
Mr Xi was already among the many leaders set to attend the Victory Day Parade in Moscow on Could 9.
The Kremlin stated Mr Xi was visiting on the invitation of Russian president Vladimir Putin and, in addition to participating in Victory Day celebrations, the leaders would focus on “additional improvement of relations of complete partnership and strategic interplay” and “points on the worldwide and regional agenda”.
Mr Putin and Mr Xi will signal numerous bilateral paperwork, it stated.
Mr Xi’s go to to Russia will likely be his third because the Kremlin despatched troops into Ukraine in February 2022. China claims to take a impartial place within the battle, however it has backed the Kremlin’s contentions that Russia’s motion was provoked by the West, and it continues to produce key parts wanted by Moscow for weapons manufacturing.
Mr Xi final visited Russia in September 2024 for a summit of the BRICS bloc of creating economies. He additionally paid a state go to to Russia in March 2023 and Mr Putin reciprocated along with his personal journey to China in October that yr. The 2 leaders have since additionally met in Beijing in Could 2024, the place Mr Putin took the primary overseas journey of his fifth presidential time period, and in Kazakhstan in July.
After launching what the Kremlin insists on calling a “particular navy operation” in Ukraine, Russia has turn out to be more and more dependent economically on China as Western sanctions lower its entry to a lot of the worldwide buying and selling system. China’s elevated commerce with Russia has helped the nation mitigate a number of the worst blows from the sanctions.
Moscow has diverted the majority of its vitality exports to China and relied on Chinese language corporations to import high-tech parts for Russian navy industries to bypass Western sanctions.
The leaders of Russia and China have developed robust private ties that helped increase the relations between Moscow and Beijing.
Moscow accused Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky of threatening the protection of dignitaries attending Victory Day celebrations after he dismissed Russia’s unilateral 72-hour ceasefire. Mr Zelenskyy stated that Ukraine can not present safety assurances to overseas officers planning to go to Russia round 9 Could, warning that Moscow might stage provocations and later try and blame Ukraine.
